Pest controllers were called to deal with creepy crawlies, rodents and infestations across NHS buildings, including mouse droppings “over everything” in a Highland dental unit.
A list of horrors is contained in details of call-outs across the health service totalling millions of pounds in recent years.
The details, released by health boards, include:
- A mouse nest in a nurse’s bedroom, a rat infestation at a doctors’ house, bed bugs in patient accommodation on the Raigmore site and mice “dropping over everything” in the Fort William Dental Unit, all in NHS Highland.
- NHS Grampian reported crawling and flying insects, rodents, wasps and birds, including at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
- NHS Orkney reported a mouse in a hospital restaurant as well as bluebottles, birds and rats at Balfour Hospital.
- NHS Western Isles spent £1,867 on removing bluebottles and wasps in the past year.
FOI data obtained by Scottish Labour shows Scottish health boards spent more than £4 million on pest control over the past six years.
A regional breakdown reveals NHS Grampian spent nearly half a million in the same period while NHS Highland spent almost £67,000.
North East MSP Michael Marra said: “The UK Labour government delivered a record budget settlement for Scotland including more than £1billion for NHS capital projects – the SNP must make sure every penny goes to improving our NHS estate.”
Details of the types of call-outs show pest control had to deal with incidents in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Woodend Hospital and at community hospitals.
NHS Grampian said it has a large estate across the region and pest control is part and parcel of managing its buildings.
A spokeswoman for the health board said: “A proportion of our annual costs are taken up by regular checks in all food preparation areas; these are not in response to reports of pests but rather a legal requirement. We have contracts with pest management firms who provide expert support as required.”
Pest controllers have had to deal with ant infestations and maggots across NHS Highland buildings, including at Raigmore and a range of community facilities.
An NHS Highland spokesman said: “NHS Highland has over 200 sites across our board area and we have regular scheduled pest control visits being carried out, with further planned pest control visits, where required, for any specific issues highlighted by the regular scheduled visits.
“We ensure any additional staff reported issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently.
“We comply with legal requirements and have no consistent individual pest control issues in our board area other than those such as Pigeon and Gull control which are controlled by management plans within the legal protection requirements set by Scottish Government.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “If approved by parliament, the draft Budget will provide more than £1 billion capital investment, with £140 million additional funding towards maintenance of the existing estate, essential equipment and digital replacement.”
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