The state government has denied reports that outdated infrastructure at a major Perth public hospital caused multiple health issues for patients, including leaking “radioactive waste” and black mould.
But Leanne, a registered nurse at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital who did not want her surname published, said she had seen mould and mushrooms growing from the ceilings and that recently, there had been an overflow of fecal matter on the ground floor of the facility.
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital had reports of radioactive waste leaking in 2023. Credit: Getty Images
“While we’ve got patients waiting in the waiting room, the smell is going through the whole department,” she told ABC Perth Mornings.
“We’ve had mould with actual mushrooms growing out of our ceiling and in the main corridors, every time there’s a huge rainfall downpour in Perth, there’s always buckets and towels on the floor protecting all the leaks from the roof.
“It’s outrageous.”
She said the whole hospital needed to be revamped and that it was embarrassing to have patients come through and deal with the current conditions.
“We’re always telling them to complain, complain, complain, because they honestly can’t believe the conditions that they are subject to,” Leanne said.
Her claims come after The West Australian revealed internal documents had shown more than 1000 work orders inundating maintenance crews between January 2023 and June 2025 – the most serious being an “urgent rapid radiation leakage”.
In August 2024, staff working in intensive care declared multiple code yellow internal emergencies after a pipe failure sent sewage spewing into patient treatment bays.
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