Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Inspectors find damaged floors and walls in Fife hospital wards

Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline and Whyteman’s Brae Hospital were also praised for their cleanliness following a visit.

Queen Margaret Hospital.
Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson

Inspectors found damaged floors and walls during a visit to several hospital wards in Fife.

Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline and Whyteman’s Brae Hospital, which caters for psychiatry and elderly patients in Kirkcaldy, were inspected in February.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland visited older adult and adult acute admission wards at both sites.

Despite performing favourably on how clean they were, both buildings were found to be in a “poor state of repair in a number of areas”.

Whyteman’s Brae Hospital was one of two inspected. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson

Speaking after the report was published on Thursday, Donna Maclean – chief inspector from Healthcare Improvement Scotland – said: “At the time of the inspection NHS Fife, like much of NHS Scotland, was experiencing significant pressures including staff shortages.

“Despite this, we observed good levels of compliance with standard infection control precautions in the majority of areas inspected.

“We observed that the environment was generally clean.

“All patient use equipment we inspected was visibly clean and well-maintained with minor exceptions.

Tape stuck to walls and exposed plaster

“Staff reported that they felt well supported and there was good communication between clinical and domestic staff and the infection prevention and control team.

“Patients and visitors we spoke to told us they were happy with the cleanliness of the hospital.

“However, inspectors observed that, although the ward environments were visibly clean, the fabric of the building was in a poor state of repair in a number of areas, including damaged flooring and walls.”

Issues identified included:

  • Tape stuck to floors, walls and cupboards
  • Chipped flooring
  • Exposed plaster on walls
  • Damaged padded backs to toilets
  • Rusty toilet handrails
  • Unvarnished wood

Ms Maclean added: “Requirements have been given to support improvement, including in the condition and maintenance of the environment.

“In order to meet the requirements from this inspection, an action plan has been developed by NHS Fife.”

The health board says many of the issues found in February have now been addressed.

Janette Keennan, NHS Fife director of nursing, said: “We are pleased that Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s report recognises the efforts of our staff to maintain our patient environment, in what were very challenging circumstances.

NHS investing in wards

“Furthermore, we are pleased that our staff reported being well-supported by our infection prevention and control team, who play a vital role by providing expert advice and guidance to help ensure the cleanliness of our hospitals remains at a high standard.

“We also note the improvement actions highlighted in the inspection report.

“Work is already under way to prioritise these actions and ensure a consistent approach across the organisation.

“This includes investment to improve the ward environments visited during the inspection, the planning for which began many months ago.”

Conversation