Study finds British hospitals are still austere, cold, smelly and poorly maintained

Previous surveys of UK hospitals have highlighted many deficiencies in the standards of hospital inpatient washing and bathing facilities—especially inadequate access for wheelchair users, insufficient bathing equipment, and unsatisfactory cleanliness and privacy.

A recently conducted qualitative survey in three hospitals in the North of England was undertaken to see whether these facilities have improved. There have been some improvements, particularly in the provision of bath hoists, adapted taps, alarm call systems, shower seats and wheelchair access to bathrooms. But many basic problems remain—absent locks and signs, inadequate heating, poor standards of privacy, insufficient bath aids, wet floors, and the inappropriate use of bathrooms as store rooms.