Concerns raised over hand hygiene at Scotland's largest hospital

A senior doctor has raised concerns over hand hygiene at Scotland's largest hospital, the BBC reports.

Dr Fiona Henderson, who works as a consultant anaesthetist at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, said hand sanitisers were not clearly sign-posted at main public entrances.

She said the hospital, which can hold up to a thousand patients, was a "super, super, spreader right now".

She also raised concerns about people entering the hospital and not being compelled to use hand sanitises.

Dr Henderson said hand sanitisers were not being sign-posted in the main entrance of the hospital

The hospital's medical director has said he will look into installing better signs, it has been reported.

Dr Henderson also said she was convinced some supermarkets were doing a better job at cleaning public spaces.

She told BBC Scotland's Drivetime programme: "I've never done anything like this before but I just absolutely have to speak out about the standard of basic infection control at the Queen Elizabeth.

"There's no enforcement of hand hygiene. What we need is manned hand-gel stations."

"As I walked into Sainsbury's there was a man cleaning the handle of my trolley - now it's a sad state of affairs that Sainsbury's are doing it better than the NHS."

Dr Henderson said no-one appeared to be using the one hand gelling station that, according to her, is "tucked away" by Marks and Spencers.

She said she understood the hospital didn't have the staff to create manned hand-gelling stations, but she called on the hospital's executive team to "empower volunteers on social media".

Dr Scott Davidson, deputy medical director of acute services, told the BBC: "We are aware of the concerns raised by one of my colleagues and have written to her directly to reassure her of the measures we are taking in response to Covid-19.

"We are taking a wide range of measures across all our healthcare facilities to ensure the spread of the virus is minimised."

He said hand sanitisers were strategically placed across the hospital to maximise their benefit for staff and patients.

"They are outside all ward entrances, outside rooms and inside rooms and in critical areas. There are also a number of areas where they are accessible to both staff and patients across the main atrium at the QEUH," he added.

It has been reported measures introduced at the hospital include:

- Introducing strict visiting arrangement

- Limiting children's visits except in exceptional circumstances

- Reducing elective treatment and outpatient activity

- Introducing remote consultations

- Introducing a presence at the doors of four Emergency Departments to manage attendances and redirect patients to more appropriate services.