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Wrong Barbara.It has been proved that people recover better when they aren't just concentrating on their own miserable state and can look out of a window.If you had looked at the article about the Lambeth Palace Library you would have read that the rainwater was diverted to the pond/s so as to reduce the amount heading for the drains ie so as to not inundate the drains.Water - and sewage - backs up the loos and overflows when there is too much water already in the drains and it can't go anywhere.  This happens a lot more nowadays because of basements being converted into living space.  How descriptive do I have to be?You are not the only people who have been in hospital!  Some of us when there want to get better and get OUT asap and don't go there for a holiday!Andy seems to just be being deliberately obtuse and delighting in the idea of sucking eggs.I was trying to ascertain whether any work outside was possible in order to allow the drains to work better eg permeable rather than impermeable surroundings.  People stuffing things down sinks, basins and loos etc that they shouldn't could be one problem, another crumbling and failing pipework and machinery and another too much rain and sewage trying to get down the same pipes at the same time.Regular cleaning goes without saying.  Medical staff should not have to deal with overflowing loos etc.  I remember years ago not being allowed to change a light bulb and going to the loo in the dark because for this to be replaced a form in triplicate had to be filled in and signed and sent off to request this action from the maintenance dept.   

Philippa Bond ● 399d

Schools, hospitals, community buildings, swimming pools they are all under threat. Swimming pools are in the news today and all of these buildings could do with maintenance and alterations to reduce the amount of energy needed to run them.  Learning to swim is a life skill and apart from being a healthy sport is also important for those recovering from various medical conditions especially when you don't want to put pressure on your legs and feet.We don't know why apart from being old and lacking the maintenance that all buildings need (and nobody ever wants to acknowledge or plan for) these hospitals have drain problems.  Rising groundwater levels won't help especially when there are sudden floods and then drains and loos will back up.I wonder whether there have been any SuDs (Sustainable Drainage Systems) exercises have been done in relation to these buildings.  I know a park where there was a path which always flooded but a little bit of special landscaping and the creation of a pond which fills when it rains hard has stopped the path flooding and allowed the water to collect in one place.https://www.local.gov.uk/topics/severe-weather/flooding/sustainable-drainage-systemsLambeth Palace Library had some work done recently which included some landscaping and I believe the pond was increased in size to help deal with any sudden heavy rainfall.We need to slow this water down.https://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/about-lambeth-palace-library/our-building/

Philippa Bond ● 400d