Lower ground floor: hygienic use of toilet facilities

I wrote to you just over a week ago with an offer of help and support in case you are feeling stressed or unwell at the moment. I particularly mentioned eating distress because we have noticed that there has been frequent soiling of the toilet facilities on your floor with vomitus, first before Christmas, but worse this term.

No one has asked for help so far, although of course that offer remains open and will remain open for the rest of the year. I have included a copy of my last letter with this one in case you misplaced it before.

The soiling of the toilet facilities, however, has become a greater problem. This must now stop immediately.

As well as vomitus in and around the toilet, we have seen toilets blocked with paper and sanitary products – and even a toilet brush. This is very unfair on other uses of those facilities, extremely unpleasant for the cleaners, and poses a hygiene risk, particularly in view of our recent outbreak of diarrhoea & vomiting. This can only be deliberate: sanitary products and toilet brushes do not put themselves into the toilets. And whilst all of us at Connaught Hall will do our utmost to help and support anyone who is experiencing mental or physical health challenges, we will not allow the continued deliberate soiling of toilet facilities.

Please follow this guidance:

1. Place any sanitary products for disposal in the bins provided. 
   Do not put them in the toilet.
   
2. Use the sanitizer spray provided and a small amount of toilet tissue to clean the toilet seat before use (if you wish to). 
   Do not put layer upon layer of tissue on the toilet seat, as this causes blockages when it is flushed away.
   
3. If you have an accident and soil the toilet seat or the area surrounding the toilet, please use the cleaning spay and some toilet tissue to wipe it up and then flush away the tissue. 
   Do not leave faeces or vomitus on the seat or around the toilet.
   
   Cleaning spray has now been provided, so there is no excuse for leaving a mess.
   
4. After you have flushed the toilet, use a brush if necessary to clean it. Do not use a brush while there is still tissue in the toilet bowl.
   
5. If you notice any soiling of the bathroom or toilet facilities, please report it immediately:

• Phone reception (extension 8200) and tell them what the problem is; and
• Send an email to suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk so we can build up a record of exactly when this is happening. This should help us to track down the person responsible.
• If you have any suspicion of who might be responsible, please talk to me in confidence.

I hope this is clear. Allow me to stress again that if you are experiencing problems right now, we will do our best to help and support you. Provided there is not more soiling of the toilet facilities, there will be no disciplinary repercussions. If, however, this mess continues to be a problem, I will have no option but to pursue this as a disciplinary matter, for the sake of all the other residents on the lower ground floor.

As always, please contact me if you need any help, advice, or further explanation.

Lower ground floor: Looking after your wellbeing & welfare

We know that coming back to college after the Christmas break can be a really stressful time. Academic stress from exams and coursework deadlines, as well as the stress of making plans for accommodation next year, adds up and can take its toll on your personal welfare – sometimes in ways you couldn’t have predicted.

Recently, we have noticed frequent evidence of vomiting in the early evenings in the female toilets on your floor. We’re worried that someone might be feeling distressed and we want to help.

Here in Hall, the Senior Members and I are used to listening to residents’ worries and concerns. As Warden, as also in my other career as a medical doctor, I have many years’ experience of helping students like you deal with a whole array of issues, from self-harm and problems with food to relationship breakdown and revision problems. The Senior Members have all received mental health awareness training, including eating distress. We are here to listen, to understand, and to guide you to the best sources of help.

Conversations with us are confidential: the Senior Members might need to tell me about something if they’re worried, but we will only contact anyone outside the team if we consider that you are in immediate danger. So you really can come and talk to us about absolutely anything.

You can read about what we do and how we can help at www.connaught-hall.org.uk/pages/welfare/support.htmland there’s more about us in the Resident’s Handbook (http://handbook.connaught-hall.org.uk).

If you would like our help with something:

• email me for an appointment – warden@connaught-hall.org.uk (I have some time available on Sunday evening this week);
• come to an open office session – openoffice.connaught-hall.org.uk;
• text me (if you want to be anonymous) on 07 907 753 894;
• contact Joe, the Senior Member for your floor – joe.mason@connaught-hall.org.uk – or Vikki, if you would prefer to talk with a female Senior Member – vikki.easton@connaught-hall.org.uk; or
• ask reception to call the Duty Senior Member between 6pm and 9pm any evening (or overnight in a real emergency) – you don’t have to tell the security officer what the problem is; just say you really need to see the Duty Senior Member.

If you’re distressed about something but not ready or willing to speak with one of us yet, please consider checking out or calling one of these sources of external help:

Mental wellbeing

SAMARTIANS

Talk things through with a trained volunteer on the phone, by text, or at their Central London branch (9am-9pm): 46 Marshall Street, London W1F 9BFCentral London branch: www.cls.org.uk

08 457 90 90 90  -  www.samaritans.org.uk  -  Text: 07 725 90 90 90  -  jo@samaritans.org.uk

LONDON NIGHTLINE

Student volunteers offering telephone support

020 7631 0101  -  Skype: londonnightline  -  www.nightline.org.uk

THE MENTAL HEALTH FOUNDATION

www.mentalhealth.org.uk

MIND

Support, information, and lots of advice leaflets on their website

www.mind.org.uk  -  0300 123 3393

Eating distress & food problems

B-EAT

www.b-eat.co.uk

NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS ASSN

www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with one of us. We really do want to help.

Second-floor men's toilets

I have agreed an action plan with the Hall Manager for dealing with the regular soiling of the second-floor men's toilets. The main points are covered in these posters, which is prominently displayed in that toilet block:

Please get in touch if you have any suggestions or concerns about this.

Update on second-floor men's toilets

We have seen with increased frequency in the last few weeks these toilets being left in a very unhygienic condition. The seat, lid, floor, and walls have been soiled in one or more cubicles almost daily.

The problem was brought to my attention when I saw a post on the Hall's (unofficial) Facebook group. It is worth remembering that the Hall cannot guarantee that we will always see posts like this (the Hall Management team are not on Facebook, and most complaints are about facilities, which are the responsibility of management rather than me or the Senior Members). Please use our suggestion box - suggestions@connaught-hall.org.uk - to raise complaints or ideas with us. You can also visit the Hall Management office during working hours, or speak with me at an open office session or whenever you see me around the Hall. You may have noticed I am currently consulting on how you would like to send us feedback. Take the survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/hallcomms.

Toilets, facilities, and cleaning are properly a matter for the Hall Management team and I, as Warden, do not have any direct control over this. However, this matter raises a number of welfare, cultural, medical, and possibly disciplinary issues: these all fall within my area of responsibility and expertise. So I have formulated some questions and considerations that need to be borne in mind here and I will be using these to help the Hall Management team fulfill their responsibility to keep the toilets safe and clean:

• The soiling is with type 6 stool. This is not normal stool and could indicate a serious medical problem such as inflammatory bowel disease if it persists for as long as it has.

 

• The pattern of soiling suggests the person is not using the toilet normally by sitting on the seat. This could be a cultural difference or concern about hygiene.

 

• It is obvious to anyone that the toilet is being left in an unsatisfactory state. The person responsible is doing so either deliberately or because there are no facilities to clean up after himself.

 

• This person may have developmental or psychological issues around toilet use, or some physical disability that makes it difficult to use a standard toilet normally.

 

• If the problem persists despite interventions to address these hygiene, welfare, and medical matters, it becomes a disciplinary matter. We will need other users of these facilities to help us identify who is responsible.

I hope to be able to publicise a final, joined-up plan to deal with this situtation today or tomorrow, following a meeting with the Hall Manager at 3pm.

Please keep us informed about any change (or no change) in the situation.