Patient, 78, is left covered in faeces and urine when hospital ceiling collapses because of 'blocked waste pipe'

Published: 16:45, 11 June 2026 | Updated: 16:47, 11 June 2026 An elderly patient was soaked in urine and faeces after the hospital ceiling collapsed while she was in the middle of a blood transfusion. Pamela Holmes, 78, was staying at Worthing Hospital in West Sussex on April 19 when a 'blocked waste pipe' caused a gush of liquid to come down on her bed. The 'disgusting' ordeal left the pensioner with a rash and in need of further medical tests to check she had not caught any other disease. Her daughter, Julie Andrews, has now recalled the disturbing incident - and how she was forced to call the hospital for answers. Ms Andrews, 57, said: 'During a blood transfusion, my mother Pam was covered in waste water, including feces and urine, as the ceiling collapsed on her bed.  'She was in shock, then showered in cold water with no soap, and they planned to continue the transfusion.  'A week later, she developed a rash. I was promised blood test results in 24-48 hours, but learned they were never tested - just stored from hematology.' Ms Andrews went on to say she was 'disgusted' by the incident. The 'disgusting' ordeal left the pensioner with a rash and in need of further medical tests to check she had not caught any other disease. The scene at the hospital is pictured She told The Argus her mother had heard water dripping before 'the whole ceiling came in on her bed'. 'She heard drip, drip, drip from the ceiling and it all fell on her. There was faeces and urine. The nurses came in and grabbed her,' she said. Fortunately, Ms Holmes was not injured and 'tried to roll off the bed' - but it was 'more the shock of it', her daughter added. Ms Andrews said she was informed of the incident over the phone and asked to bring her mother clean clothes. She said she was told to keep an eye on her mother 'because of the urine and faeces' but that she came out in a rash the following week. The concerned daughter then called the hospital, with staff telling her mother to come in for blood tests to rule out any infection. However, Ms Holmes did not receive the results. It was only when she rang them up two weeks later that she was given the 'all clear'. The pensioner's daughter, Julie Andrews (pictured), has now recalled the disturbing encounter - adding she was forced to call the hospital for answers Ms Andrews has reported the incident at the hospital and the issue with the blood results to the NHS' Patient Advice and Liaison Service. Dr Maggie Davies, chief nurse at University Hospitals Sussex said the trust had 'spoken directly' with Ms Andrews and her family to express 'how deeply sorry we are for what she has been through'. 'No one should ever have to experience something so distressing, and we recognise the profound impact this has had on her and those close to her. 'We have carried out a thorough investigation to understand exactly what happened, and we have taken steps to protect patients and prevent this happening in the future. 'We are committed to supporting Ms Andrews and her family in every way we can,' she added. Worthing Hospital is a medium-sized hospital in West Sussex. It faced controversy last year when the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UHST) admitted failing to provide safe care and treatment for a 16-year-old girl who took her own life on hospital grounds after running from her ward. Ellame Ford-Dunn had been admitted as a mental health inpatient in March 2022. She ran onto the Worthing Hospital grounds but was not followed immediately by a nurse due to 'confusion' and a lack of appropriate procedure. Ellame was later found unresponsive on the edge of the grounds but she died despite CPR at the scene. Earlier this year the hospital's maternity department was upgraded from requires improvement to good - though 'concerns' were said to remain. However, the hospital's overall rating remains at requires improvement - with safe care and departmental management proving particular areas of concern.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.