New data reveals worst hospitals in Leeds for pest call-outs including rodents and cockroaches
Rodents, wasps and ants are among the pests plaguing Leeds hospitals, new figures have revealed.
Data obtained by the YEP showed that there have been more than 1,000 call-outs to sites run by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) over a five-year period.
.jpeg?trim=0,0,0,0&crop=&width=640&quality=65)
It confirmed that the worst hospital in the city for reports of unwanted visitors was St James’, with a staggering 544 pest control incidents between 2019 and 2023.
The figures, obtained via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, showed a fluctuating but generally upward trend in call-outs at sites across the city. These were at St James’ Hospital, Leeds General Infirmary (LGI), Seacroft Hospital, Chapel Allerton Hospital and Rosewood Nursery.
Hospital bosses said in response to the findings that they take a “proactive approach to pest control”, emphasising that the data only represents call-outs so a number of them may have been for preventative reasons rather than being indicative of a pest problem.
The response to the FOI confirmed that an inclusive contract for pest prevention has an annual cost of circa £50,000, covering call-outs to all five sites. It added: “Our teams work hard to address all call outs as quickly as possible to ensure the safety of our patients, visitors, and staff.”
Rodents were the most frequent culprit, topping the list across all sites with a total of 290 incidents. St James’ Hospital alone accounted for 162 rodent-related call-outs.
The year 2020 saw the highest number of rodent-related call-outs, with 62 recorded at St James’ - the highest number for any pest category in a single year.
However, wasps and ants also emerged as recurring problems. Wasps were particularly prevalent at St James’, which recorded its highest number of wasp-related incidents in 2023 with 43 call-outs. The hospital also saw a significant increase in reports of flies and insects in the same year, with 29 incidents.
Meanwhile, ants were a frequent issue across several hospitals, with St James’ again reporting the most significant number of call-outs, particularly in the latter years of the five-year period. Ants accounted for 220 incidents across all sites, with 57 of those in 2023 alone.
LGI ranked second in terms of pest control call-outs, with 325 incidents. The hospital saw the highest number of cockroach and pigeon call-outs in five years in 2023, with seven cockroach incidents and 20 pigeon-related reports. This marked an unusual spike in these pests at LGI, with the hospital’s previous years reporting fewer instances.
It comes after bosses at LGI said they were in urgent need of replacing the ageing hospital, as the trust faces mounting costs relating to one of the oldest NHS estates in the country. Some of its buildings date back more than 150 years and, despite ongoing repair work, the trust has had to deal with leaking roofs, damp, and crumbling walls and ceilings.
The trust is advancing plans to build a new state-of-the-art hospital at the site, which would include a home for Leeds Children’s Hospital, a new adults’ hospital and a single-site maternity centre. It would repurpose vacant parts of the hospital estate to create an “Innovation Village”, which leaders said would bring in 4,000 jobs and £13bn to the regional economy.
The response to the YEP’s FOI request showed that other sites in the trust, such as Seacroft Hospital, Chapel Allerton Hospital, and Rosewood Nursery, saw fewer pest call-outs. Seacroft had 140 incidents over the five years, with ant infestations being a common concern. Chapel Allerton and Rosewood had the lowest totals, with 126 and 30 incidents respectively.
Responding to the data, Craige Richardson, Director of Estates and Facilities at LTHT, said: “Due to the vast size and complexity of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust estate, there are occasionally instances where our Pest Prevention team are called out to pest reports.
“While reports are recorded, pests are not always identified when the team attend. We promote a proactive approach to pest control on our sites to ensure the safety of our patients, visitors, and staff, therefore call outs can be of a preventative nature and not indicative of a pest problem.
“The urban surroundings of St James University Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary sites can impact pest sightings and influence the number of call outs. Our Estates and Facilities team employ contracted Pest Prevention experts who work hard to respond to all reports and take essential measures.”