More 'shock' health checks for hospitals

HOSPITALS are to be exposed to more "shock inspections" after Scotland's health watchdog found dirty and bloodstained equipment and inadequate staff infection prevention.

The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate found that staff cleaning procedures at two Lothians hospitals, The Western General and St John's in Livingston, was poor, while it criticised the ERI for not having up to date policies on wards.

During its first year of inspections the inspectorate found that staff at the Western General had "an inconsistent approach to the recording of cleaning tasks across the hospital". At St John's the HEI found that one of the 11 wards inspected, Ward 21, was dusty and required to be "brought up to the standard of other wards".

The authority's chief Susan Brimelow has now pledged to make 90 per cent of inspections unannounced.