NHS Tayside chiefs have pledged to draw up new “contingency plans” to deal with extreme temperatures after the health board was accused of a “dereliction of duty” during the recent cold snap.
The commitment came after staff at Perth Royal Infirmary allegedly turned a blind eye to “appalling conditions” in the hospital grounds.
Perthshire author Roger Cartwright has claimed at least one visitor had been injured following a fall amid treacherous conditions just yards from PRI’s main entrance.
NHS Tayside chiefs have insisted that staff worked tirelessly to clear snow and ice from the hospital grounds but admitted “lessons had been learned.”
Meanwhile, Dr Cartwright has contacted senior health board officials and health minister Nicola Sturgeon to demand an explanation, insisting a potentially lethal problem had been “ignored.”
He said, “Public servants have responded to the severe weather conditions magnificently… but the management at PRI is a sad exception.
“On Tuesday this week there had been very little snow overnight and none during the day. However, when I arrived at PRI with my wife for an outpatient appointment at 4pm very little had been done to ensure the safety of patients, visitors and staff.”
He added, “The car parks were like an ice rink… and had clearly been untouched for days if not weeks.”
Dr Cartwright insisted the problems did not end at the car parks.’Dereliction’ of dutyHe said, “To make matters worse there was a solid sheet of ice outside the rear entrance automatic door to the outpatient department. As I was entering I saw a patient/visitor slip on the ice.”
Dr Cartwright said that members of the public rushed to the stricken man’s aid, but hospital staff seemed “unconcerned,” which NHS chiefs have hotly denied.
He said, “There has been a dereliction in the duty of care under health and safety legislation.
“The site was in a dangerous condition… yet nobody takes responsibility.”
Director of operations for NHS Tayside Ken Armstrong defended efforts to clear snow and ice at PRI.
He said, “Since the first snow in late November, the estates department has worked tirelessly to keep roads, paths and car parks as clear as possible.
“This has been particularly challenging because the unprecedented temperatures have produced compacted snow and ice which is very difficult to break up and remove.”
Resources had been “extremely stretched” as the low temperatures were complicated by frozen pipes, flooding and transport difficulties.
Mr Armstrong said, “While I believe our estates staff have responded brilliantly over the past couple of months to working in extremely challenging circumstances, I remain committed to the ongoing improvement of our services.
“Following a debrief from our estates team, we will, with the lessons learned, draw up a contingency plan to improve our future response to such difficult weather conditions.”