MEDICAL CLINIC HIT WITH BANS OVER HYGIENE
FAULTY INSTRUMENTS AND OUT-OF-DATE ITEMS WERE FOUND
APRIVATE medical clinic in Glasgow City Centre was banned from taking blood samples and giving vaccinations after inspectors raised “immediate concerns” about hygiene.
The Medical Suite Scotland provides GP appointments and other healthcare services on Blythswood Square and offers “24/7 access to private hospital specialists”.
It was told to stop taking bloods and administering vaccinations after government inspectors reported that a handwash dispenser in the treatment room was “dirty, mouldy and clogged with residue”.
A trolley for blood-taking equipment was “cluttered and dusty”.
The report by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) also found there was a lack of the procedures in place to minimise infection risks.
A blood pressure monitor and instruments for examining the ears was also faulty and a defibrillator, alcohol wipes and blood specimen bottles were out of date.
The report stated: “We found no evidence of a cleaning schedule for either the environment or patient equipment.
“In light of our concerns, we told the service to stop taking bloods and administering vaccinations to patients until these issues had been addressed.”
Record-keeping on patients was also described as “poor” during the initial inspection in November, with notes written on “confidential waste documents”.
The report added: “We saw that outcomes from patients’ assessments were scribbled in the margins of patients’ health questionnaires.”
A follow-up inspection, carried out in December and published this month, lifted the ban on blood tests due to improvements in the clinic environment. Faulty equipment had also been replaced.
However, inspectors found that the clinic had referred a child to a specialist consultant breaching a condition of registration that it should not treat anyone under the age of 18.
The clinic is staffed by one GP and an administrator, but the business had no recruitment policy in place.
“Staff roles were not risk assessed or subject to appropriate background checks from Disclosure Scotland,” the report found.
The clinic was graded “satisfactory” for safety of care, patient experience and leadership.
We found no evidence of a cleaning schedule