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Maggots have fallen from ceiling vents onto patients at a NSW hospital infested with mould, forcing its public-private operators to close wards and cancel surgeries.
Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital emptied its 16-bed haematology unit and sealed off a four-bed room after maggots rained down from air-conditioning ducts on Monday.
Calvary Mater Newcastle Hospital is grappling with an ongoing mould infestation dating back to October 2024.Credit: Michael Howard
Planned surgeries were cancelled and cancer patients were relocated to the hospital’s general medicine ward and other hospitals.
“These are not minor disruptions, with direct and distressing impacts on patients and their families, and our hospital staff,” said a spokeswoman for Calvary, the organisation responsible only for the hospital’s operations under a complex public-private partnership agreement.
The maggots were noticed a week earlier, the Newcastle Herald reported.
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A spokeswoman for the Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) said an investigation into the source of the pests is ongoing. But a likely cause is a mould infestation in the hospital’s air-conditioning system, which triggered the closure of the haematology day ward this month.
Flies attracted to the decaying organic matter lay their eggs in the mould, from which maggots hatch.
Private consortium Novacare – comprising Westpac, Abigroup, Honeywell and Medirest – and HNELHD are responsible for the hospital’s maintenance.
Law firms XD Law and Bilbie Faraday Harrison are considering launching a class action after the Newcastle Herald reported Novacare was informed in October 2024 that the air-conditioning ducts were infested with Aspergillus mould and needed to be replaced.
Staff and patients were alerted six months later when this information was leaked.
Most strains of Aspergillus are harmless, but a few can cause serious illness when people inhale the spores. Those most at risk are people with weakened immune systems (for instance, immunocompromised cancer patients), lung disease or asthma.
The firms are appealing for loved ones of patients who died in the hospital’s cancer wards between January 2024 and April 2025.
On Tuesday, the hospital was forced to cancel all elective surgeries and transfer 15 general medicine patients to private hospitals to make room for the haematology patients.
The Calvary spokesperson said the organisation was frustrated by ongoing maintenance issues overseen by NSW Health.
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Health Minister Ryan Park apologised to patients and staff, saying the delay by private operators in addressing the maintenance issues was unacceptable and HNELHD was devising an action plan.
“I’ve made it clear to all parties involved that I want this matter resolved as quickly as possible,” Park said. “But remediation work on the heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit was under way.”
HNELHD’s spokeswoman said it was working with Novacare to implement necessary controls to ensure the hospital resumes normal activities as quickly as possible.
“We want to reassure patients, families, carers, staff and the community [that] we are taking all necessary steps to resolve this issue thoroughly,” the spokeswoman said.
Westpac and Honeywell have been contacted for comment.
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