Hospital cleanliness hailed in mixed report on Western

HEALTH chiefs have been praised for keeping the ageing Western General hospital clean – but warned they must do better.

The Craigleith hospital was given a "satisfactory" rating following its official inspection but issues with the amount of space between beds and facilities for patients in isolation were highlighted as concerns.

Health chiefs have vowed to improve on some of the areas, but said shortcomings were "inevitable" in a busy hospital.

In the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate report, inspectors praised staff who managed to keep the 600-bed hospital in good condition despite the ageing buildings.

However, in ward two – a clinical cancer ward – the beds were found to be less than the required metre apart.

In another area, patients who were supposed to be in isolation were being kept in cubicles separated only by a curtain.

While the level of hygiene was praised, NHS Lothian was told to improve its record-keeping of cleaning tasks.

The health board's chief operating officer of acute services, James McCaffery, said: "The inspectorate highlighted a number of areas of strength, including standards of cleanliness and maintenance.

"The inspection team also singled out for praise hand hygiene and staff infection control education.

"Inevitably in a busy hospital, there were some areas inspectors said could be improved and these have been addressed as part of the action plan drawn up following the visit."

The Western is repeatedly praised by patients but, like other hospitals in the area, there are concerns that some parts are too old to function as a modern hospital. In spite of that, inspectors said maintenance "was of a high standard" and that NHS bosses were "committed" to the hospital.

Other shortcomings raised in the report, which was based on an announced inspection last month, included porter staff handling waste without adequate protective clothes, and patients in isolation not having dedicated toilet facilities.

It is understood that observation was made when an inspector noticed a cubicle without a commode in it, although practice is to ensure each person in isolation can have access to such a facility.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "It's particularly encouraging that inspectors found that patients were positive about the cleanliness of ward areas at the Western General.

"However, room for improvement was also found and I expect these concerns to be rectified."