Cleanliness At Hairmyres 'Improved'

A hospital reported to the Scottish Government over cleanliness concerns has significantly improved'', inspectors have said. Blood was found on equipment at Hairmyres in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, when a team visited last autumn. The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) called for immediate action by NHS Lanarkshire and alerted ministers before carrying out an unannounced follow-up visit in January. Chief inspector Susan Brimelow said:During this inspection, we saw evidence that improvements had been made and were in place." In particular, the standard of environmental cleanliness had significantly improved and the majority of patient equipment inspected was clean and ready for use."However, we did find that further improvement is required to ensure the process in place for documenting the insertion of peripheral vascular catheters (PVCs) is followed.'' The HEI found patient trolleys, bed frames and commodes contaminated with blood and body fluids during a visit in October, a month after inspectors had flagged up the issue on a previous visit. During the September inspection they had also identified ''significant amounts of dust and grime'' in several areas of the hospital. They issued five urgent requirements, of which three have been met by NHS Lanarkshire. A further one has been partially met, HEI said. The hospital had yet to meet standards on the use of PVCs. Ms Brimelow said: This inspection resulted in one requirement which must be addressed as a matter of priority. We will follow up this concern at future inspections.''

NHS Lanarkshire chief executive Calum Campbell said: Overall, this is a positive report and we are pleased that the inspectors have recognised the hard work that has taken place to improve healthcare environment standards at Hairmyres Hospital.We are committed to making further improvements and have action plans in place." Work is already under way to address the report's one requirement to ensure that the insertion of peripheral vascular catheters is properly recorded.''