Clean-up for maternity unit ordered after dirt and mould found

THE maternity unit at a Scottish hospital has been criticised after inspectors found dirty equipment and out-of-date medical supplies.

The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) ordered improvements at Caithness General Hospital after concerns were raised over standards of cleanliness on the ward for mothers and babies.

While inspectors found good cleaning practice elsewhere in the hospital, they said more attention needed to be paid to the maternity unit after they found dust on picture frames and shelving and shower facilities with mould.

They also discovered waste bins which were dirty and rusty, and stained baby-changing mats.

Another area of concern uncovered by the inspectors was out-of-date sterile medical supplies on the maternity unit, some of which had expired in 2002.

Their report also highlighted torn bed linen found in use on the ward.

The HEI — which was set up last year in a bid to reduce the risk to patients from hospital acquired infections — has now recommended that NHS Highland implement an effective stock rotation policy in the hospital's maternity unit.

However the inspectors found the overall standard of cleanliness in the hospital was good, stating: "The majority of wards inspected were visibly clean."

Its report also praised the infection control nurse at the hospital for being "very visible on the wards".

Susan Brimelow, HEI chief inspector, said NHS Highland was complying with the majority of standards to "protect patients, staff and visitors from the risk of acquiring an infection within Caithness General Hospital".

"The overall standard of cleanliness within the hospital is good and the majority of the wards inspected were visibly clean," she said.

"Environmental audits are being carried out, action plans produced and senior charge nurses have a good awareness of the audit results for their ward area.

"However, we did find that further improvement is required in some areas including the standard of cleanliness within the maternity ward and the sharing of feedback from public representatives involved across NHS Highland's public involvement programme."

Margaret Watt, chairwoman of the Scotland Patients Association, said the report was "concerning", especially as it involved a ward caring for very young babies.

"New babies can pick up germs and so this level of cleaning is unacceptable," she said.

"They should know by now what needs to be done to keep hospitals clean and bring down infections."

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "I have made tackling hospital infections my top priority, so I am pleased to learn that Caithness General Hospital has implemented measures to reduce the risk of infection.

"There are, however, areas for improvement and I know that NHS Highland has put in place an improvement plan to address these concerns."The health board will now work with the inspectorate to reinforce public confidence."

Carena MacIvor, lead nurse for North Highland Community Health Partnership, said: "We are pleased with the overall report for Caithness General Hospital. Clearly we have taken action on the findings in the maternity unit.

"The cleaning issues were addressed the day of the inspection and systems are in placed to ensure that the ward is kept clean at all times. The other issues identified have all been addressed."