Figures obtained via freedom of information requests to NHS trusts show hospitals in England recorded 456 sewage leaks over the past 12 months.
And with only 55 hospital trusts out of more than 100 in England responding to the requests submitted by the Liberal Democrats, the true scale of the problem is certain to be much worse than the grim picture already painted.
Multiple cases of urine and faeces flowing into hospital rooms and general wards were reported. Sewage leaks into cancer wards, maternity units and A&E departments were also commonplace.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust reported the most sewage leaks at 105. One incident in the respiratory day unit involved excrement coming through floor tiles, whilst overflowing toilets cause frequent leaks.
The trust said the problems were down to ageing hospital buildings and people flushing the wrong things down toilets, causing them to become blocked.
A spokesperson told The Guardian: “As one of the largest teaching hospitals in the country, we have a huge estate spanning from Victorian to state-of-the-art – over 520,000 square metres and across seven hospital sites.”
“While we have a comprehensive capital programme in place to ensure ongoing investment in our infrastructure, much of our estate is ageing.”
“This causes a significant maintenance backlog, which inevitably leads to incidents such as leaks that require regular upkeep.”
North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust was next with 80 recorded sewage leaks, none of which were classed as major.
The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow suffered 40 leaks. One caused a patient to slip over. Another reported in a data log was so potent as to make staff unwell.
“Raw sewage smell is still ongoing and staff are struggling to work in these conditions,” the report said. “They are all experiencing feeling nauseous, having headaches and feeling very tired.”
The Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust are waiting for the go-ahead for a new hospital to be built to replace the current ageing buildings.
Director of strategy and estates at the trust, Michael Meredith, explained how they employ a 24-hour rapid response team to manage issues on the estate in an attempt to manage the situation.
Facilities management teams working with hospitals are often equipped with specialist equipment like a drain and waste pipe repair kit.
A drain and waste pipe repair kit contains all the products needed to make multiple repairs to cracked cast iron and split plastic pipework.
Keeping a kit on-site or on the van means that everything is ready and available to make an instant repair as soon as problems are reported. It enables faster response times and minimises disruption; two factors which are vital for hospitals.
Mr Meredith said: “Sewage leaks occur across the site on a regular basis including below the ground, above the ground and in our basement.”
“These are managed quickly and efficiently but they are unpleasant, especially where they occur in areas accessed by patients, our people or the public.”
“However, given the age and complexity of the estate and the delay in a decision around the funding for our new hospital, our backlog will continue to grow and will inevitably have an impact on service delivery.”
The NHS needs to spend an estimated £10.2 billion just on clearing a backlog of repairs and maintenance which should have already been carried out.
£1.8 billion is required immediately for “high-risk” repairs needed to prevent catastrophic failure, major disruption or deficiencies in safety which could cause serious injury.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said: “This is a national scandal. Our country’s hospitals are falling apart after years of underinvestment and neglect.”
“Patients should not be treated in these conditions and heroic nurses should not have the indignity of mopping up foul sewage.”
“At every turn, our treasured NHS is crumbling, from hospital buildings to dangerous ambulance wait times. The government needs to find urgent funds to fix hospitals overflowing with sewage. Patient and staff safety is a risk if ministers fail to act.”
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