Dirty equipment found in Aberdeen hospital wards

A Scottish hospital has been urged to make urgent improvements after inspectors found dirty equipment on wards.

Inspectors expressed concerns about some wards and units at Woodend Hospital. Picture: Jayne Emsley

An inspection of Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen found reusable patient equipment which was not clean and wash hand basins which were non-compliant with guidelines.

The inspectors also said the environment of some wards and units appeared tired and unsuitable products were being used to decontaminate patient equipment in the stroke unit.

The report said: “The majority of patient equipment was found to be clean and in a good state of repair.

“However, we also found some pieces of equipment such as a shower hoist, two IV drip stands and a bed pan to be visibly stained.

“Across the wards inspected, we checked 14 commodes and found four of these were visibly stained.”

Susan Brimelow, HEI Chief Inspector, said: “This inspection has identified several priority areas where Woodend Hospital must make immediate improvements.

“In particular, we found reusable patient equipment which was not clean and saw a number of wash hand basins which were non-compliant with current guidance, in ward areas.

“The environment of some wards and units inspected appeared tired and we found unsuitable products being used to decontaminate patient equipment in the stroke rehabilitation (west) unit.

“However, patients spoke positively about the care and treatment they had received and staff demonstrated a good awareness of their roles and responsibilities for infection prevention and control.”

Ms Brimelow said they had issued four requirements and two recommendations which NHS Grampian had to address as a matter of priority.

“We will follow-up these concerns at future inspections,” she added.

Dr Roelf Dijkhuizen, medical director at NHS Grampian, said: “We are very pleased the inspection team found that our patients are well cared for and that they and their relatives are happy with the care they receive.

“A caring, professional environment is, we believe, the most important feedback that we can receive and we are tremendously proud of the staff that deliver this high quality care day in day out.

“The positive feedback from the patient survey was also encouraging. Comments recorded the professionalism of staff and the high standards of cleanliness and hygiene on the wards.

“We recognise that Woodend Hospital is an old building that presents challenges to maintain, but our staff do an excellent job to ensure that it is still a safe environment for patient care, as demonstrated by our excellent infection prevention achievements.”