Doctor’s anger at hospital ‘dirtier than supermarket’
Consultant says £850m QEUH fails on basic hand disinfection
SUpErmArkETS are doing a better job at keeping public areas clean than Scotland’s largest hospital, a senior doctor has said.
Consultant anaesthetist Dr Fiona Henderson raised concerns about ‘basic’ levels of infection control at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow .
She said there were no clear signs at the main entrances of the £850million flagship hospital showing the location of hand sanitisers.
It came as the country’s death toll from the Covid-19 virus reached ten yesterday.
First minister Nicola Sturgeon said she had been in contact with Dr Henderson and had ordered a probe into the claims.
The consultant told BBC Scotland’s Drivetime programme on Thursday: ‘As I walked into Sainsbury’s there was a man cleaning the handle of my trolley – it’s a sad state of affairs that Sainsbury’s are doing it better than the NHS.
‘I’ve never done anything like this before but I just absolutely have to speak out about the standard of basic infection control at the Queen Elizabeth.
‘There’s no enforcement of hand hygiene. What we need is manned hand-gel stations.’
She said the hospital, which can treat up to 1,000 patients, was a ‘super, super, spreader right now’.
Dr Henderson said a hand gel station in the main entrance of the adult hospital was ‘tucked away’ near the shops and no one was using it. She called for a ‘manned’ dispenser to be installed.
The consultant added that she understood the hospital did not have enough staff to create manned stations, but called on its executive team to ‘empower volunteers on social media’. She said: ‘Similarly, we don’t have the cleaners. We need an army of cleaners going round keeping all the public areas absolutely spotless. We could equip these people with appropriate protective gear.
‘The mere presence of these people would alter the behaviour of the public and staff coming through the doors.’
Yesterday, miss Sturgeon said: ‘I’ve had a personal email exchange with the medic this morning assuring her the concerns that have been raised will be properly looked at and followed up and we will discuss with hospitals.’
As a result of the damning comments, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) said it will look into installing better signage.
In a statement, Dr Scott Davidson, deputy medical director of acute services, listed a string of measures the board had taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
These include the ‘reduction of elective treatment and outpatients’, the use of ‘remote virtual consultations’ and the presence of staff at the doors of four emergency departments to ‘manage attendances and redirect patients to more appropriate services’.
Dr Davidson said: ‘Firstly, my thanks go to each and every member of our staff for their commitment and dedication to the patients we are caring for during this extremely challenging time.
‘Their welfare and safety is paramount as we deal with Covid-19.
‘We’re aware of the concerns raised by one of my colleagues and have written to her directly to reassure her of the measures we are taking in response to Covid-19.
‘There has been a significant amount of work and effort into our approach to the current and developing situation, and we are taking a wide range of measures across all our healthcare facilities to ensure the spread of the virus is minimised.’
Dr Davidson added: ‘There are hand sanitisers strategically placed across all our hospital sites
‘I absolutely have to speak out’
where we can maximise their benefit for staff and patients.
‘They are outside all ward entrances, outside rooms and inside rooms and in critical areas. There are also a number of areas where they are accessible to both
‘We need an army of cleaners’
staff and patients across the main atrium at the QEUH.
‘Our cleaning and portering staff are on site at every hospital, including the QEUH, and are going above and beyond their duties to ensure all areas of the hospital are being regularly cleaned.
‘Everyone across the NHS in
Scotland is working extremely hard to do all they can to contain the virus and minimise its impact on our residents.
‘I am extremely proud of and humbled by the dedication and professionalism of my colleagues as we respond to one of the greatest challenges to the NHS we will experience in our careers.’
The hospital’s cleaning ‘compliance’ – how well it adheres to set standards – is monitored both internally by the board and externally by the NHS body Health Facilities Scotland. Figures published last month, before the outbreak, show the QEUH is above the 90 per cent compliance required.
An NHSGGC spokesman said: ‘We are sorry that this member of staff remains concerned and have already written to her to reassure her of the extensive measures we’re taking in response to Covid-19.
‘The welfare of our staff is paramount as we deal with the Covid19 situation and we are taking every action to ensure their safety and the safety of our patients.’
The spokesman added: ‘We maintain very high standards of cleanliness across all our hospitals, including the QEUH, and our domestic staff work exceptionally hard to maintain these high standards.
‘All our hospitals also receive unannounced visits from Healthcare Improvement Scotland and its report published in February on the QEUH positively recognised the hospital for its cleanliness and infection control measures.’