"Bird of Pay": Hawk Costs NHS Thousands

By Wed, 13 June 2012 7:00AM

Leave a comment!

Thousands of pounds of tax payer's cash has been spent employing a bird of prey at St Mary's hospital.

Earlier this year Isle of Wight Radio revealed the hospital had hired a hawk to scare seagulls away from the site as they were apparently damaging the roof of St Mary's.

However at the time bosses wouldn't reveal how much the bird of prey had cost.

Costs obtained under the Freedom of Information Act

Figures obtained by Isle of Wight Radio can now confirm £7200 has been spent on the hawk.

It'll visit 26 times over the next year or, on average, every fortnight.

Pest company will be from the mainland

It's also been revealed that the hospital has chosen a national pest control company to supply the bird instead of an Isle of Wight firm.

NHS Isle of Wight has currently spent nothing on repairing the roof at St Mary's although the hospital says work is being planned for this summer.

Maria Cowen Was Collinson To be fair these seagulls are massive and nesting all around the hospital, not only are they damaging the roof but they are extremely intimidating to visiting patients esp if they have nested near an entrance site, I'm all for saving the tax payers money but I work at the hosp and see these gulls, they seem to multiply each year so if the Hawk can scare them into moving on then in my view it's money we'll spent, they waste money on far more trivial things trust me so at least the tax payers benifits from this!
4 hours ago via Mobile · · 8
Cera Bulpitt Blimey. I wouldn't mind that Hawks rate of pay, £276 per visit.
3 hours ago via Mobile · · 3
Keith Harding in the nhs defence from experience seagulls with young on flat roofs make a hell of a mess and rip up the felt causing thousands of pounds of damage. this is normally only discovered the morning after heavy rainfall when water has wrecked thousands of pounds more of electrics, computers, alarm systems, plasterboard walls, decoration, customer files, stationary, internal fire proof doors, skirtings and architraves, carpets and flooring. the clean up takes a month of sundays and the insurance goes up. £7200 for a season is unfortunately about the going rate because these companies talk to each other and provide a little known but important service but if we have the service on the island why not keep in on the island
2 hours ago ·
Dawn Wilkinson-Russell I will come scare them off for £100 a visit!
about an hour ago ·
Leoni K Gaile Why have a mainland falconer why can't we have one from the Isle of Wight they just waste our money because they can!!!
about an hour ago ·
Tracy Barker Pay him in bird food
about an hour ago ·