Health chiefs in Tayside and Fife are ready to remove hand gel dispensers from hospital wards following fears they could be targeted by desperate alcoholics.
Charge nurses in NHS Tayside have admitted they are keen to prevent ”confused and vulnerable” people from swallowing the cleaning substance which contains alcohol routinely offered to hospital visitors in a bid to limit the spread of potentially fatal bugs. NHS Fife has a similar policy.
The move comes after it was disclosed that Forth Valley Hospital in Larbert, near Stirling, does not provide the dispensers at all points because of fears children and adults may be consuming the gel.
A report by the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate on Forth Valley found that hand gel was not available at every bed ”because of the risk of ingestion by children and some adults”.
The inspectors called on Forth Valley to ensure that alcohol gel aimed at reducing infections are provided ”at or near every bed” and to conduct a risk assessment to demonstrate there are suitable alternative arrangements including giving staff individual hand gel bottles.
Recent reports in England suggested hand gel was being targeted by homeless alcoholics desperate to feed their addiction.
NHS Tayside chiefs admitted they were aware of the potential problems in their hospitals including Ninewells, Perth Royal Infirmary and Stracathro.
Dr Gabby Phillips, lead infection control doctor for NHS Tayside, said: ”Alcohol hand gel is provided at the entrance to wards and at bed spaces or ends of beds for use by staff, visitors and patients. Small individual personal dispensers are also available for staff and these can be clipped to belts or pockets.
”If the senior charge nurse thinks that there are any patients in the ward who are particularly vulnerable or confused, the gel would be removed as necessary.”
Asked if any cases of people consuming hand gel in Tayside hospitals had occurred, a spokeswoman for the health authority said such situations are not routinely recorded but the precautions outlined by Dr Phillips are guidance for staff when risk assessing patients.
NHS Fife medical director Dr Brian Montgomery, said: ”Hand gel is provided at entrances to all wards and clinical areas and at other areas where there is thought to be a risk of infection.
”This is kept under regular review by clinical staff and the infection control teams.”
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