RAH fails to get clean bill of health after watchdog’s inspection
LOCAL DEMOCRACY REPORTER
A health watchdog has found unclean toilets, pillows kept in a shower room and breast milk stored at an unacceptable temperature in Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital.
An inspection from Health Improvement Scotland ( HIS) revealed two fridges were at a higher than acceptable temperature for “the safe storage of expressed breast milk”.
Toilets in the emergency department were also said to have “removable contamination on the walls”, as well as “marked and dusty floors”.
During the inspection – carried out from December 4 to 6 – the cleaning checklist in the department’s staff and patient toilets had not been signed for 24 hours when it’s meant to be completed on an hourly basis.
A report – published this month – also revealed issues such as clean pillows being stored in an unused shower area and bins containing clinical waste left badly damaged and unlocked.
The report said: “In one ward, we found a large number of clean pillows being stored in an unused shower area.
“This made it very difficult for staff to regularly run the water to flush this infrequently used outlet. This is a necessary part of water safety management.
“When we returned to the ward the following day, we noted the pillows had been removed.
“The lead nurse confirmed the running of this water outlet would be monitored with the longer-term aim to remove the shower to create a dedicated storage area.
“Clinical waste from the emergency department, awaiting uplift by portering staff, was stored in large, lockable waste hold bins.
“We found that the bins were badly damaged and were not locked at the time of our inspection. These waste hold bins are located in a public area.
“This could allow unauthorised access to clinical waste. When we returned to the department the following day, the same damaged bins were in use and remained unlocked.”
Staff have taken measures to tackle the shortcomings, such as removing the two fridges and cleaning or removing the contents, cleaning emergency department toilets, removing pillows from the shower area and replacing the faulty clinical waste bin with a secure locked one.
HIS Inspectors found nurses and doctors knew how to protect other patients from cross infection when they were caring for someone with an infection.
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “The inspectors were impressed with staff awareness of managing the risks of transmission and protecting other patients from cross infection when caring for a patient with an infection.
“The management of invasive devices – where patients can be at risk of developing an infection – was also praised.
“Whist there was an issue highlighted with one bin in the emergency department, overall waste management was good. The bin has since been replaced with a secure locked bin.
“Other improvements made since the visit in December include additional storage for theatre packs, a programme of replacement of work surfaces and flooring within the theatres and the purchase of new wheelchairs.
“Feedback from patients forms an important part of these inspections and we were pleased that the majority of patients were positive about their experiences and found the hospital to be ‘exceptionally clean’.”