Sheffield Children’s Hospital: Two theatres closed due to infestation of flies with some surgeries postponed

Two of Sheffield Children’s Hospital's nine theatres and a procedure room have temporarily closed due to an outbreak of flies, which has caused some surgical appointments to be delayed.

Craig Radford, Chief Operating Officer at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: "A number of very small flies were recently located in and around the theatres area of Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where we perform surgery and procedures. We have found the source of the problem and have taken action."

The hospital is working with Sheffield City Council’s pest control team and external contractors, and the theatres will ‘remain closed in the short term’ until the issue is resolved.

This means some surgical appointments have been postponed, including some who have been waiting for almost a year.

Mr Radford added: "[Closing the theatres] isn’t a decision we’ve taken lightly, patient safety is our priority and we are rearranging any cancellations as soon as we can. Cases in all our theatres are being reviewed on an individual basis and we are talking to families affected.

"We apologise to all patients and families who have had surgery or procedures postponed as a result of this issue. The safety of our patients always comes first and we have a duty to provide a clean and safe environment with minimal risk of infection. These theatres will remain closed in the short term and until we are fully confident the situation has been resolved."