A damning inspection into the care of elderly and vulnerable patients at a major Fife hospital has revealed a raft of issues with dignity and bed capacity.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s report into Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital tells of patients being wheeled along a corridor to the toilet on commodes rather than wheelchairs and the “systemic problem” of extra patients being squeezed into four-bedded bays.
Nurses were said to have left people during mealtimes to answer phones and on one occasion inspectors had to intervene “as a tray had been placed in such a way that the patient could not see their fork so was eating their meal with their knife.”
Labour have now called for ministerial intervention, with some patient responses saying staff were “run off (their) feet” and swamped with paperwork.
The report, which identified 15 areas for improvement, says nine wards had an occupancy rate of between 101% and 112% of their identified capacity during April and these issues “compromised patient dignity, care and safety”.
Such incidents included blood being taken from patients while they were eating their meals and one patient who said they were left lying in their bed with the curtains closed, desperate for the toilet, trying to buzz nurses between 6am and 9am before being helped.
Labour’s health spokesman, Neil Findlay, said: “There needs to be an urgent re-inspection of the hospital and I would expect that ministers have met with NHS Fife to ensure that what was observed in the hospital has now ceased and that patient care is as it should be.”
The announced inspection took place between May 14 and 16.
NHS Fife chief executive John Wilson said he welcomed the report and pointed to 97% of patients describing their quality of care as good, with 86% saying they had been given clear information about their condition and treatment.
He said £2.7 million was being invested into acute services to manage capacity issues, an additional 22 beds would be permanently opened at Victoria and claimed the recruitment of additional medical and nursing posts was “well in hand”.
“An action plan has been agreed based upon their report with Healthcare Improvement Scotland and work on this is already under way to address the issues raised,” Mr Wilson added.
Health Secretary Alex Neil said: “I have been assured that NHS Fife have recruited additional staff and undertaken a detailed bed planning exercise to ensure they have the right type and number of beds in the right place.”