Watchdog slates hospitals for 'putting patients at risk'

PATIENTS in hospitals throughout Scotland have been put at risk from poor hygiene and understaffed wards, according to an investigation by NHS watchdogs.

A report by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland records breaches in decontamination of equipment and patients being treated on overcrowded units, which only met "minimum acceptable standards."

The inspection examined hospital units across the country carrying out endoscopies, diagnostic tests which tens of thousands of Scots undergo every year. The tests help diagnose conditions including ulcers and bowel disease.

Dr Jean Turner, executive director of the Scotland Patients' Association said: "This is dreadful. People are being treated like cattle. The last thing they need is not to have their full respect, dignity and privacy."