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Revealed: Scandal of Scotland
Helen Puttick Health Correspondent
23 Nov 2010
Serious concerns about the cleanliness of hospital equipment including mattresses and beds have been raised by NHS Scotland’s top hygiene inspector.
Susan Brimelow found mattress covers stained with bodily fluids and dirty commodes labelled clean and ready for use in the first year of checks carried out by the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI).
In 12 out of 29 hospitals, staff were failing to take all of the basic precautions necessary to stop the spread of hospital infections such as the superbug MRSA and practice was described as “poor”. There were also a dozen hospitals where communication had broken down, with managers unaware of problems on the wards.
The “shocking” findings are published today in Ms Brimelow’s first annual report since the inspectorate was set up last year by Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon to investigate cleanliness in hospitals.
Dr Jean Turner, executive director of the Scotland Patients’ Association, said the findings mirrored stories the group had heard but it was still “horrifying” to think that major hospitals in
It is vital [patients] have absolute confidence in the care they receive if they need hospital treatment.
Susan Brimelow, NHS Scotland hygiene inspector
The inspectors found evidence of poor cleaning, including dusty corners, trolleys and curtain rails, even though hospitals had been informed in advance when the inspectors were going to visit.
The team is now undertaking a series of unannounced inspections, which some observers expect will be even more revealing.
Last week, a report on the
Ms Brimelow, chief inspector for the inspectorate, said: “Patients deserve the highest standards from the NHS, wherever they live in
“They want to be assured that their local hospital is clean, hygienic and they are not at risk of getting an infection. “Overall, we have found most hospitals are generally clean and improving. However, there are still important areas for further improvement. In particular, we expect to see rapid and sustained improvements in the coming year that focus on improved cleaning of hospital equipment.”
Ms Brimelow is calling for new national guidelines to be drawn up regarding cleaning equipment.
Individual offenders are not named in the report, but the findings from each inspection are published online. The 12 hospitals at which infection prevention practices were poor were: Aberdeen Royal Infirmary;
Edinburgh; Hairmyres Hospital, East Kilbride; Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy; Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock; Arran War Memorial Hospital; St John’s Hospital, Livingston, and Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital.
Huge steps have been taken in
A total of 18 people died after contracting C Diff between late 2007 and mid 2008 at the Vale of Leven Hospital in
Patients can highlight problems with hospital cleanliness to HEI and the inspectors will consider looking into them when they conduct a visit.
