A parliamentary inquiry into Newcastle’s Calvary Mater Hospital is drawing the curtain on what families, former patients and staff describe as years of inadequate infection control, including mould in air conditioning vents, reports of pest activity and allegations stretching back nearly two decades on the public record.
As first reported across various media channels, the inquiry was triggered after mould was discovered in a cancer ward at the facility last year, prompting a state level review that has since uncovered one hundred and twelve non routine maintenance issues across NSW hospitals. Submissions to the inquiry, which holds its first in person hearing in Newcastle next week, paint a deeply troubling picture of what happens when environmental hygiene in a clinical setting deteriorates without decisive intervention.
Laboratory experts say such situations often reflect a deeper failure in how mould contamination is understood and managed in healthcare facilities. According to Litmus laboratory director Claire Bird, reactive responses frequently arise from gaps in knowledge and planning. “Reactive, improvised responses are usually the result of poor understanding of the health risks of mould and airborne microorganisms in hospitals,” she says, adding that panic responses often combine with limited training and weak procurement processes to produce remediation work that “falls short of best practice and can increase risk rather than reduce potential for harm.”
Immunocompromised patients at greatest risk
Among the most alarming accounts are those involving patients already weakened by haematological cancers and chemotherapy, the very people for whom a mould contaminated environment carries the gravest consequences. One submission describes a patient being treated for acute myeloid leukaemia who developed breathing difficulties and a severe cough after being placed in a room described as freezing, with the family later questioning whether airborne mould affected his lungs. Another family lost a loved one to pneumonia while he was receiving treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome, with relatives saying mould precautions were never discussed or visibly implemented.
Perhaps most confronting is an account from a submission writer who witnessed what appeared to be a mould remediation response during his admission in January this year, with staff in protective suits applying what he believed was a vinegar based solution to walls and surfaces.
Bird says such approaches reveal a widespread misunderstanding about how mould remediation should be handled in high risk environments. “Where the original moisture cause is not addressed, surface cleaning becomes what industry calls spray and pray,” she explains, describing a situation where the root cause remains while visible mould receives a superficial treatment.
The chemistry itself also raises concern, with online household products promoting mould removal rarely including validated instructions for professional remediation. Bird says consumer cleaners seldom specify correct concentrations, cleaning protocols or dwell times and provide little guidance on surface compatibility or worker exposure risks. “Off the shelf consumer cleaning products are not designed or validated for controlled remediation,” she says. In hospital environments where surfaces may host complex microbial communities and biofilms, specialised remediation products and procedures become essential.
A pattern, not an incident
Submissions to the inquiry suggest the issues at the Calvary Mater stretch far beyond a single event. One family raised concerns about visible black mould in 2007, claiming those concerns were dismissed. Another recalls mould and pest activity in the cancer and chemotherapy ward as far back as 2014. Inquiry chair Amanda Cohn notes that staff reported problems through internal channels as early as 2017, eight years before the matter escalated to a parliamentary inquiry.
Bird says prolonged contamination in a healthcare building often signals systemic failures across maintenance, governance and risk management. “Long term mould problems usually point to failures in building management and governance,” she says, citing inadequate HVAC maintenance, limited understanding of remediation standards and operational pressures that discourage ward closures during repairs.
Professional remediation standards do exist. Australia recently adopted internationally recognised frameworks through the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification including the AS IICRC S500 standard for water damage restoration and the AS IICRC S520 standard for mould remediation. These frameworks outline structured processes that include professional assessment, containment measures to prevent spore spread, removal of contaminated materials and verification testing to confirm that remediation succeeded.
Yet Bird warns that even these standards represent baseline practice rather than the highest level of control required in sensitive clinical environments. “Standards are useful but they are not necessarily designed for high risk settings,” she says. Hospitals caring for immunocompromised patients require additional controls and specialist expertise that extend beyond routine remediation protocols.
The challenge becomes particularly complex when contamination spreads beyond visible surfaces. Mould frequently migrates through wall cavities, insulation, HVAC systems and subfloor spaces, releasing microscopic spores that circulate through indoor air. Managing contaminated materials and controlling air movement become critical steps in preventing exposure.
Bird points to ventilation systems as a frequent contributor to persistent mould problems within healthcare buildings. “HVAC is often the primary source of mould growing on surfaces in the building and leads to accumulation of mould in the hospital environment,” she explains, noting that proper inspection of air handling systems forms an essential part of any mould investigation.
For the cleaning and facilities management sector, the unfolding case in Newcastle reinforces a lesson the remediation industry has voiced for years. Environmental hygiene in healthcare facilities demands rigorous assessment, specialist knowledge and structured remediation processes grounded in evidence. Oncology wards, transplant units and intensive care environments contain patients whose immune systems remain profoundly vulnerable. When mould contamination enters that equation, every decision about cleaning, maintenance and building management carries direct consequences for patient safety.
