Cleanliness 'Poor' at Western General

Inspectors found mould in shower areas and contaminated bedframes, armchairs and toilet seats during checks at Edinburgh's Western General Hospital. The Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) has ordered NHS Lothian to ensure that all patient equipment is "clean and ready for use''. They issued the instruction after inspectors visited the hospital last November, raising "concerns about the cleanliness of the environment and patient equipment'' in ward two, where cancer patients are treated, with senior managers. On the second day of the inspection they highlighted "concerns about the cleanliness of the patient environment and patient equipment on a further two wards'', the regional infectious diseases unit and a gastroenterology ward. The HEI report said there was evidence that the NHS board was not complying with standards to "protect patients, staff and visitors from the risk of acquiring an infection''. It noted the standard of cleanliness of the patient environment was "poor'' and stated that the standard of cleanliness of patient equipment was also "poor''. In some wards they found dust on both high and low level areas while there was mould around a shower surround in ward 43 along with mould on shower heads in ward 50. Of 29 bedframes and handrails that were inspected, 22 were found to be contaminated - with one of these in a room that was being readied to care for a patient with viral haemorrhagic fever in the regional infectious diseases unit. A total of 16 of the 18 patient armchairs that were looked at were contaminated while 16 out of 21 commodes or toilet seats were contaminated with faeces, blood or body fluids. Meanwhile, of the 18 mattress covers that were inspected, seven were contaminated, with the inspectors also spotting faecal contamination to patient handrails in toilets and to toilet-roll dispensers in one of the oncology wards.