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"Black mould in the parents shower rooms"

About: Paediatrics / Acorn Ward

(as a parent/guardian),

We unfortunately had two extended hospital admissions with my daughter.  We haven't stayed on Acorn Ward for quite a number of years, and I have to say I was dismayed and appalled by the state of both parents shower room.  I have never seen black mould present in the showers before, and was shocked to see this present in a hospital setting and I will say, I also found this present on the tiles by the sink in one of the rooms too.

Thankfully, we haven't been admitted in this year, but I mentioned our previous stays and concerns to my daughter's community nurse recently.  I gather upon checking with one of the Ward Managers, this situation has not improved and I feel compelled to highlight my concerns.

The last thing a parent needs after an often long, stressful and emotional day in hospital with their child, is to be repeatedly stepping into an unclean and unhygienic shower feeling that you not only putting your own health at risk, but also possible carrying something back with you to your child each time you shower.

This is unacceptable, particularly given the environment and requires immediate attention.

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Responses

Response from Angela Giles, Paediatric Nursing Rota Lead, Children's unit, Somerset Foundation Trust yesterday
We are preparing to make a change
Angela Giles
Paediatric Nursing Rota Lead, Children's unit,
Somerset Foundation Trust
Submitted on 27/01/2026 at 13:22
Published on Care Opinion at 15:13


picture of Angela Giles

Dear pyxiscy87,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience via care opinion, I am truly sorry to read about the concerns you encountered during your daughter’s admissions. Extended hospital stays are incredibly demanding for families, and parents should be able to rely on clean, safe and comfortable facilities when taking a moment to care for themselves.

The presence of black mould in the parents’ shower rooms and in one of the cubicle areas is unacceptable and far below the standards we would want in Acorn Ward or in any of the facilities in the Children’s Unit. I fully appreciate how distressing this would be, especially when you are already managing the emotional strain of caring for a child in hospital.

I am so grateful that you raised this with your daughter’s community nurse, and I would like to assure you that your feedback has been shared with our Ward Leadership and Estates teams as a priority. We have already spoken with a contractor who will be assisting us to resolve this issue as soon as possible, and we are working closely with them to ensure remedial work is carried out.

Thank you again for bringing this to our attention. Your feedback helps us make the environment better for all families, and I am genuinely sorry that this was your experience. If you would like to discuss this further or share more detail, I would be very happy to speak with you directly angela.giles@somersetft.nhs.uk

Warm regards,
Angela Giles
Paediatric Nursing Rota Lead

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