Anger as hospital has been without running water for more than a week due to ‘sewage contamination’: Furious patients voice hygiene concerns amid claims staff clean them with wet wipes

One of the lowest-ranked NHS trusts in England is facing increasing backlash from angry patients as its main hospital has been without a major water supply for a week – with disruption expected to continue until at least the weekend.

The western block of Darent Valley Hospital in Kent, which covers around half the site, has been without running water since Tuesday, April 28, following reports of alleged sewage contamination.

An official statement from Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said ‘an issue’ had been discovered which could ‘risk water quality’.

However, there is no confirmation yet on the exact cause of the malfunction.

A spokesperson previously said the problem stemmed from an internal fault in the hospital’s heating system “leading to possible contamination of the hot and cold water network.”

As a result, patients have not been able to drink water from the taps in the block or use washing facilities for a week.

This has led to claims that patients are being cleaned with wet wipes and staff are unable to properly wash on site.

The Trust has been approached for comment on these specific allegations, but previously said bottled water had been distributed to patients, while portable hand washing facilities had been set up.

The western block of Darent Valley Hospital in Kent, which covers around half of the site, has been without running water since Tuesday 28 April.

Ranked 90th out of 134 in NHS England’s official performance rankings – which takes into account care, waiting times and ambulance response times – the Trust announced on Tuesday that repairs to water systems have been completed, but the supply cannot yet ‘return to normal use’.

Water samples are currently undergoing laboratory testing to confirm safety, with results not expected until Friday, May 9 at the earliest.

In its latest update, the Trust said: ‘Until then, some parts of the hospital will have restrictions on the use of mains water. These areas are clearly marked. Toilets remain fully operational and alternative arrangements have been made to provide safe drinking water and independent hand washing facilities where necessary.

‘Across the rest of the hospital – including surgical services, intensive care, radiology, most outpatient clinics, the main entrance and catering and cleaning services – the water supply is safe, unaffected and available for normal use.

‘The hospital remains open and fully operational. The situation continues to be managed through the Trust’s incident response arrangements, with ongoing assessment to ensure patient care can continue safely.”

The Trust apologized for the ‘frustration and inconvenience’ caused by the lack of water.

It urged patients, visitors and staff not to drink tap water in affected areas but to use bottled water and ‘designated handwashing facilities’.

Toilets remain safe to use, but patients and visitors are urged to contact staff if they have any concerns.

Recent patients in the hospital and family members of current patients have claimed on social media that the situation is a “ticking health bomb.”

One wrote on the Darent Valley Hospital Facebook page: ‘Patients are being cleaned with wet wipes and the poor nurses and ancillary staff can’t scrub after cleaning patients.’

They added: ‘No clean crockery and no disposable cups for the catering team or plastic cups. The cups are dirty because they cannot be cleaned properly.

‘The struggle for the poor nurses is enormous. Not being able to scrub goes completely against their work ethic, they are treated like c**p and very soon there will be a major health emergency due to the contamination.

‘I’m so happy to be home and clean for the first time in five days, but I’m desperately worried about the patients left behind.’

Another claimed that their 97-year-old mother-in-law is in “one of the affected wards” and that “major health risks continue.”

They added: ‘With the wards not being cleaned, it is a ticking health bomb.’

The Daily Mail approached Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust for comment on Monday. The Trust referred us to their latest statement on Tuesday morning and said it is investigating the other claims.