Hospital fan ban is making us stay sick
NHS PROBE OVER HYGIENE RISK IN WARDS Cystic fibrosis patient Yvonne hits out after cooling devices KO’d
Cystic fibrosis sufferers say a hospital ban on electric fans is affecting their recovery.
Patients claim they have been left in discomfort after NHS investigators ordered a purge on the devices amid hygiene concerns.
A charity spent £10,000 on 46 Dyson units, gifted to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital just months before the ban.
West of Scotland Cystic Fibrosis Patients’ Fund claim the move is having a negative impact on their stay in hospital. NHS National Services Scotland ordered all fans to be removed over fears they get clogged with fungus and bacteria.
Yvonne Hughes, 45, from Clydebank, who suffers from the condition, said: “The fans not being there has been a big loss to our recovery. Comfort levels in our rooms have been reduced.
“We’re all very disappointed that we can no longer use them. If you’re not cooling down, then you can have more coughing fits. Sometimes we have fans on 24/7.”
Yvonne, diagnosed as a baby, goes to the hospital for treatment every three months. Treatments can last more than two weeks.
She said: “We’ve been left with very few other options to keep us cool. We don’t think we’ll be allowed to use our own fans or hand-held ones. I only hope that the NHS complete their investigation quickly and we can go back to using the fans.”
NHS National Services Scotland recommended the removal of all bladeless fans after a Newcastle hospital was said to have discovered a hygiene problem.
The patients’ fund bought the Dyson bladeless fans from Currys in Braehead, Renfrewshire, 18 months ago. Management at the store have refused to give a refund, claiming there is no fault with the units.
Cystic fibrosis is caused by a defective gene, which one in 20 people in Scotland carry. As a result, the lungs and digestive system become clogged with th ick mucu s , result i ng in chronic infections and inflammation.
Dyson have welcomed the probe into their fans.
NHS National Services Scotland said: “We have advised that they should not be used in clinical areas until the investigation is complete.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “The temperature in each patient’s room is controlled by a thermostat. This allows the temperature to be adjusted as preferred.”