Answers must be supplied over why elderly patients were left in a run-down hospital ward for a year after problems were first reported, a Dundee councillor has claimed.
Staff and patients at the Royal Victoria Hospital deserve the “best of facilities” and NHS Tayside should provide a timeline for repairs in the building, said Labour councillor Michael Marra.
Inspectors found a part of Ward 7 in the hospital to be in such poor condition it was “unable to be effectively decontaminated” as they made Covid-19 checks.
The Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) team found the problems, which included holes in the walls by the patients’ bed, had been highlighted a year earlier but a plan to fix them had not been delivered.
Mr Marra said: “I am sure NHS Tayside will be working urgently to rectify this situation but answers must be provided as to why this planned work was not carried out. Was it a lack of funds? Is the maintenance backlog too great?
“This is vital work that is needed to prevent infections among both patients and staff. The elderly and vulnerable patients at the Vic must not be put at risk by a failure to maintain facilities.
“Our NHS staff deserve the best of facilities where they can continue to deliver outstanding care.”
NHS Tayside bosses did not address the “poor condition” of the hospital ward in their official public response to the investigators.
They highlighted positive aspects of the report and promised only a further “Improvement Action Plan” on the six areas the inspectors said needed work.
Mr Marra said patients, families and staff deserve more detail.
“It makes no mention of this urgent maintenance work and offers no explanation as to why the work was not carried out as planned.
“A timescale for the completion of the work should be part of the public response if we are to be assured that this is an isolated case and not part of a serious backlog.
“Management are rightly keen to highlight the performance of staff and the standards of care provided but those staff require safe facilities for themselves and their patients.”
The HIS team found holes in walls at patient bed spaces, damage to the wooden sills behind the clinical hand wash basins and wooden handrails with varnish worn off.
Inspectors noted, in a report published on Tuesday, an infection prevention and control team had identified the issues during an annual audit in June 2019.
Estates workers completed an “action plan” to repair the ward but “did not progress with the works”.
The inspectors looked at three wards in July dedicated to medicine for the elderly, including Ward 7 where the problems were found, and one stroke ward.
An NHS Tayside spokeswoman, said, “Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s report on Royal Victoria Hospital recognised that regular Infection Control Audits are carried out in the areas the inspectors visited and there were no issues to report.
“Inspectors were told by staff that there are effective systems in place to report maintenance issues. The report confirmed that any issues reported were always reviewed promptly and repairs were usually carried out within a short timeframe.
“Urgent maintenance remedial works reported are prioritised and are carried out ahead of any minor repairs which are then scheduled to be attended to. An action plan is in place to address any outstanding repairs as a priority.”
