Inspectors found that hand cleaning was being missed where there was a suspected Covid-19 outbreak among patients at St John’s Hospital in Livingston.
Although staff were knowledgable about infection prevention and control, and linen and waste was managed in line with national guidance the team of inspectors who visited unannounced last October found that some areas could be in a better condition.
They found damage to walls, woodwork and flooring and staff raised concerns over cleaning at weekends and have demanded four actions are taken to remedy shortcomings including hand hygiene.
Donna Maclean, Chief Inspector, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said:“Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about infection prevention and control and described a supportive relationship with the infection prevention and control team. However, we observed several missed opportunities for hand hygiene in one ward with a suspected COVID-19 outbreak.
“Patients we spoke with were happy with the cleanliness of the environment and we were shown positive feedback regarding the care environment. All equipment inspected was clean and linen and waste and sharps were all managed safely and effectively.
“We found a good standard of cleaning in most areas we inspected. However, to enable effective cleaning, the environment should be well maintained and in a good state of repair.
“In some wards areas of the environment were not well maintained, or in a good state of repair with damage to walls, woodwork and flooring.
“NHS Lothian has an infection prevention and control audit programme in place. However, there was inconsistent compliance with the timeframes for completing these, which meant we had limited evidence of assurance that guidelines were being met.”
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