Press Release, 16th August, 2013

CONCERNS OVER RAH INSPECTION REPORT

Local MSP Duncan McNeil has today raised concerns that problems with bed overcrowding at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley were omitted from an official report.

During the hygiene inspection of the hospital last year, inspectors’ identified that bed spacing in the Day Surgery Unit failed to meet NHS guidelines for infection control.

However, the concerns were never included in the final inspection report produced by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

The Standard Infection Control Precautions indicate that within a multi-bed unit, each bed space should be not less than 3.0m x 2.7m (bed centre to bed centre).In addition, there should be a minimum of 1.2m of clearance at either side of a bed to facilitate clinical and support activities.

At the RAH day surgery unit with wards of 8 bed spacing between beds was as narrow as 1.3m, much less than that required.

The Labour MSP Duncan McNeil said:

“Given that many of my constituents use the RAH in Paisley I am concerned that the substantive issue of bed overcrowding was left out of the final report”.

“There is a risk that NHSGGC will become complacent if such issues are omitted. There is also a danger that public confidence in the inspection regime will be undermined”

“Healthcare Improvement Scotland needs to be completely open and transparent in their reports”