'Terrified' gran sleeping with trap on hospital bed after finding droppings

A grandmother has been left terrified after discovering rodent droppings in her hospital room, and now sleeps with a trap on her bed. Christine Sandra Dobbs, 82, has been staying at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent, for the past three weeks following a severe fall.

The pensioner, who suffers from diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and severe arthritis, claims she waited approximately 24 hours to secure a bed after initially arriving at A&E. However, on Sunday, July 27, she made a distressing call to her daughter, Chelsey Field, revealing that she had found mouse droppings in the hospital drawers. The grandmother, who is terrified of rodents, has since been sleeping with a rat trap under her bed, living in fear.

Chelsey, 51, from Sittingbourne, Kent, said: "She doesn't like hospitals, so she didn't want to go. Everything was just getting too much.

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"When she first got on the ward, I could see it was dirty, but I didn't want to say anything because it was so hard to get her in. She FaceTimed me and she was just screaming, she was hysterical. She was begging me to come get her.

"When she finally calmed down a bit, she told me that there were mice running around. They had been in the drawers pooping all over her clean underwear.

"There were mouse droppings everywhere. It's shocking. It is terrible."

Chelsey promptly rang the hospital and said the nurses attempted to assist. She mentioned that patients were given plastic boxes to safeguard their belongings, but many remained frightened of the rodents.

She said: "My mum is so scared, she is absolutely terrified. She just can't stop thinking about it.

"A couple of people had passed away while we were in there and that is the last thought you want in your head - rodents running over your loved ones."

The hospital has declared Christine fit to return home, but the family has struggled to arrange carers for her. Chelsey reports no mouse sightings in the past two days, yet her mum is still eager to return home and asks daily.

She said: "If I could get her home and care for her then I would, but she needs two carers and I just can't do that."

The former virtual receptionist has lodged a formal complaint via the hospital's Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS), demanding immediate action. She urges the government to allocate more funding to the hospital so patients don't have to endure the "disgusting" conditions.

Chelsey said: "They need to start spending some money on trying to clean things like this up. Our hospitals shouldn't be like this; it is vile."

Darren Palmer, deputy chief operating officer and site director of operations for Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are very sorry for the distress this incident has caused and are taking the concerns raised seriously.

"Our estates and facilities teams, alongside external pest control specialists, have investigated the report and carried out additional cleaning and monitoring in the area. Patients, visitors and staff are encouraged to report any sightings so that we can act immediately and maintain the highest standards of cleanliness across the hospital."