But the hospital claims the incident never happened.
Cummins, professor emeritus of genetics at Western University, became ill with pneumonia earlier this month after returning from a trip to England. He was first treated in emergency with antibiotics and then given a strong laxative before being shipped to a ward.
“I had a bit of an accident because the laxative took hold of me and I made a mess in the toilet,” which was shared with another patient, he said. “Then I went looking for somebody to help with the clean-up.
“The interesting thing here was that there was essentially no professional staff . . . on the ward at that time.”
The only person he was able track down was the man who delivered breakfast that day.
“He sort of wandered down the hall and then came back later and told me I had to learn to control my bowels . . . and then I did my best to clean it up.
“There were no cleaning tools. I just cleaned it up with towels,” Cummins said, noting the soiled towels sat in a bag for 10 to 12 hours before they were removed.
“I was a bit upset . . . it was no easy matter because at that time I was crippled.”
After spending four days in hospital and convalescing at home for a week, he reported his experience to the “patient complaints” office.
But rather than responding to his concerns, Cummins said “a person from the complaints department called me . . . and said they were unhappy with me for speaking to the press,” referring to a CTV interview he did May 17.
Tony LaRocca, vice-president of community and stakeholder relations, London Health Sciences Centre, said later in a written statement that an investigation concluded the incident never happened.
“All we can say is that we have no record of any such incident ever occurring at our hospital, and simply put, we would never ask a patient to do their own cleaning. We have a highly trained staff of environmental service workers who can be quickly dispatched to do any clean-ups required in any patient-care area within the hospital,” he said.
Cummins said one thing in the hospital statement is correct, “I was never asked to clean up my mess — I was told to.”
“There were many, many witnesses to the fact I clean it up and the fact the soiled material was there,” he said after being read the hospital’s response.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath stunned MPPs Monday with details of the incident, blaming government cuts resulting in staff reductions.
“It is an absolute disgrace that Mr. Cummins . . . was basically told if he wanted his toilet cleaned he would have to clean it himself,” she told reporters later.
“If that’s Ms. Matthew’s idea of quality health in this province then I think Ontarians would have a different opinion.”
Health Minister Deb Matthews did not respond specifically during question period but told the Star later the incident, which is being investigated by the hospital, “is completely unacceptable . . . it should have never happened.”
“Mr. Cummins’ treatment at the London Health Sciences Centre is completely unacceptable. Mr. Cummins’ and every patient across the province deserves better. The Minister should promptly investigate the matter and the hospital should issue an apology to Mr. Cummins & his family,” said Tory health critic MPP Christine Elliott.
Katha Fortier, a spokesperson for CAW, said housekeepers are being spread incredibly thin at all hospitals.
“It is incredibly challenging for them to keep Ontario hospitals clean,” she said.
Cummins said when he was mopping up he found previous signs of fecal matter in the grout in the bathroom, which was cause for alarm to a man who understands germs.
“My thinking was whether I was willing to spend another couple of days down there (in hospitals) and I said no, ‘I think it is pretty unhealthy here.’ They gave me an out and I took the out.”
Source: thestar.com
Author: Richard J. Brennan
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