A BODELWYDDAN hospital has banned flowers from some wards.
One visitor to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd has branded the situation as “health and safety gone mad” after being told she could not bring flowers to a friend.
Susan Brown, of Rhyl, was told the ban on Ward 2 was brought in after a nurse was injured after a vase was thrown at her.
She said: “It is a real shame, I am sure it helps people recover. Flowers give the place a nice atmosphere. When I was there the place looked really bare without them.
“It is health and safety gone mad. It would be handy for people to know if they can bring flowers or not.”
The ban is in place to stop the aggravation of certain medical conditions, with flowers not allowed on several wards and the acute medicine unit.
A spokeswoman for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said: “We are sorry that this lady had problems regarding bringing flowers.
“There was an incident with a vase on Ward 2 a couple of years ago where a glass vase was thrown at a nurse who sustained minor injuries.
“Although this was an isolated case, flowers on that ward are now only allowed if they are in their own oasis container.
“However this does not affect our flowers policy and sisters on the wards will continue to determine the policy for their own ward,” she added.
“It is a case of balancing safety, where pollen in flowers can aggravate certain conditions, especially chest, and often the lack of space around the bed, with the joy that receiving flowers can bring to patients.
“To date we have not had any problems, but we do appreciate it can be confusing for visitors.
“We will look again at improving signage and how best to inform patients and their visitors on bringing flowers onto the wards,” the spokeswoman added.