Victoria General Hospital deep-clean ordered following patient complaints

After months of dealing with bedbug infestations, floods and closures, management at Victoria General has been prompted by patient complaints to order a deep cleaning of the Halifax facility. 

The Nova Scotia Health Authority's decision is a response to "concerns raised by some of our patients," according to a statement released Wednesday.

The moves comes just a day after a CBC News story in which an Edmonton woman described her "nightmare" stay at the hospital while she underwent an operation to donate a kidney.

Shelley Vaughan said during her four days at the VG after surgery her bed sheets weren't changed, her toilet wasn't cleaned, she wasn't offered a fresh gown, the floors were dirty and there was "something smeared" on the sides of her bed.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for the authority said a special team is being brought in to meet cleanliness standards. Everton McLean said there is no timeline, but it will happen as soon as possible. 

There will be no delays or closures caused by the cleaning.

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Crothall Healthcare Canada, the company that employs the hospital's housekeeping staff, said every effort is being made to ensure the hospital is kept clean and protocols are followed.

"Crothall Healthcare continues to work in partnership with the Victoria General Hospital to deliver consistent, high quality cleaning services," Saira Husain, the company's communications manager, said in an email.

"We regularly conduct rigorous audits and continuously seek opportunities to improve on cleaning practices."