Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSHospital showed 'no consideration' for patient risk in infection control measures
A hospital’s measures to prevent the spread of infections such as C difficile have been branded ‘ineffective’ by inspectors.
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary has been ordered to “urgently review” the way its cleaning duties are carried out, after the report by the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate.
The findings have been described as “simply unacceptable” by health secretary Nicola Sturgeon.
The inspection was carried out on 13 October this year and looked at the accident and emergency department, as well as four other wards at the hospital.
Inspectors found “no consideration” of risk to patients, their condition and their effect on fellow patients.
The standard of cleaning in wards and public areas at the hospital was also branded “very poor”.
The hospital conducts its own environmental audits to ensure infection control policies are implemented, but the report states: “These audits are currently not an effective way of ensuring the required additional cleaning is undertaken.”
A follow-up unannounced inspection found that action is already being taken and many concerns have already been addressed.
The report makes nine requirements for NHS Grampian to improve procedures in relation to infection control and cleaning - including the “urgent review” of cleaning duties - and a further six recommendations.
NHS Grampian said a comprehensive action plan involving clinical and non-clinical staff at all levels in the organisation and public representatives had been drawn up.
Chief executive Richard Carey said: “It is vitally important to this organisation that we learn from this inspection and act swiftly on its recommendations.
“We will therefore work closely with the inspectorate in implementing their recommendations on improving our infection control measures.”
The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate was set up earlier this year to help reduce infection risk to patients after recent fatal outbreaks of C difficile at Scottish hospitals.
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Readers' comments (4)
Anonymous | 24-Nov-2009 3:53 pm
filthy place. they should be ashamed of themselves, and the board should all be held to account personally, incurring disciplinary measures
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Anonymous | 25-Nov-2009 11:45 am
I would concur with the above... Tendering 'out' domestic services brought in people who (through no fault of their own) have no loyalty or pride in the hospitals they clean.. they are expected to clean faster with allocated timings that are unrealistic. I may sound old fashioned, but I frimly believe that domestic staff employed by the Trust/Hospital would take much more pride in 'their hospital' and 'their area' of responsibility.
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Anonymous | 28-Nov-2009 1:17 pm
Our domestics are employed by the trust and are largely very good but I too feel that over the years standards have slipped. Whatever happened to the distinctive smell of 'cleaned hospital' from years gone by? Get it back I say.
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Anonymous | 2-Dec-2009 11:35 am
One way to reduce the spread of infection at this hospital would be to end the common practice of having barrier nursing beds next to uninfected beds in wards. Seems like a blind eye is turned when it suits due to pressure on bed numbers!!
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