Inspectors sweep back into Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for a surprise check-up

Published on Thursday 4 February 2010 08:39

INSPECTORS have carried out a surprise inspection at the city's biggest hospital, just weeks after a similar visit was derided after details were leaked in advance.

A team from the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) carried out an unannounced check on Tuesday at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Today, NHS Lothian vice chairman Eddie Egan said initial feedback had praised the hospital's procedures, cleanliness and infection control.

The spot inspection came just weeks after the ERI's main announced check was plunged into disarray when it emerged details of the visit had been leaked to hospital staff.

That undermined the entire inspection process, but Mr Egan said this latest report proved the hospital was up to scratch.

"It took place at around 10am when the HEI arrived at the hospital and said what they were there for," he said.

"At the end of it, they gave us some feedback.

"What they said was actually similar to what we were told at the end of the announced inspection, which was the high level of infection control and cleanliness."

That inspection was widely discredited, but the results of this latest unannounced visit – expected to be published in full later this month – will come as a boost to health chiefs forced to defend their role in the last inspection.

They claimed they were blameless in receiving details of which wards were to be visited from HEI, instead saying an administrative error within the infection team was to blame. Critics said NHS Lothian should still have been honest and conceded the mistake, comparing it to schoolchildren who might get answers in advance of an exam.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon, who places tremendous importance in these latest inspections, demanded answers when the gaffe was revealed by the Evening News.

However, Mr Egan said: "Given the publicity surrounding the last visit, I wasn't surprised that we were visited again so soon. There could well be more in the future.

"I maintain the position I adopted at the time, that staff did nothing wrong. I think this visit shows we are making good progress and that it is a clean hospital."

It is understood the HEI team visited different wards from the last visit and that no special preparations were made beforehand.

Mr Egan added: "Different staff react in different ways when there is an inspection on – some get very stressed, others don't – but I think everyone recognises the value of having an external organisation doing this."

James McCaffery, NHS Lothian's chief operating officer of acute services, said: "We welcomed the HEI inspectors back for the unannounced visit.

"It was a positive experience and the initial feedback was good, which was consistent with the announced inspection two weeks ago"

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