Major improvements ordered at Aberdeen and Elgin hospitals
- Published
Improvements have been demanded at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
NHS Grampian has apologised to patients after inspectors ordered major improvements at two of north-east Scotland's biggest hospitals.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) raised concerns about the management of controlled drugs in the emergency department at Dr Gray's in Elgin.
It also highlighted issues about managing patient cannulas in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary's A&E.
It has now issued 20 requirements for Dr Gray's, external, and 12 for ARI, external.
HIS inspectors made unannounced visits to both hospitals last October.
Inspectors found several drug cupboards at Dr Gray's were unlocked in the emergency department and acute medical admissions unit.
Due to the layout of the department this area could be accessed by patients, visitors, or staff without easily being seen.
The report found only 44% of the registered nursing staff in the emergency department at Dr Gray's, and 64% on the paediatric ward, had completed a paediatric immediate life support course.
An external company has now been approached to provide training with the intention that all registered nurses in both the emergency department and paediatric ward receive it.
Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin was also the focus of an inspection
At ARI, concerns included how to manage patient cannulas - the thin tube inserted into patients - in the emergency department.
Donna Maclean, HIS chief inspector, said that at the time of the inspection, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary "like much of NHS Scotland" was experiencing a "range of significant pressures", including increased hospital admissions.
"The increase in hospital capacity meant that patients were being cared for in additional beds in non-standard areas such as treatment rooms or corridor spaces, impacting on the ward environment, staff workload and patient experience of care," she said.
Staff praised
The inspector praised staff, saying they were "focused on providing safe and compassionate care" and patients felt they were being treated with respect, dignity, and compassion.
There was also "an open and transparent culture" at safety huddles with senior managers and lead nurses working together well.
Of the Moray hospital, she said they had serious concerns regarding the management of controlled drugs within the emergency department and in the oversight and "management of the incident reporting systems and processes impacting on patient safety, dignity, and respect".
She added: "Staff reported a culture where they were encouraged to raise concerns but did not feel that these were always listened to by senior managers."
Dr June Brown, NHS Grampian's executive nurse director, said work was already under way on areas requiring improvement.
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"Where patient care wasn't as we would have expected, I would take this opportunity to apologise to patients and assure them that we have a comprehensive action plan for improvement," she said.
"I'm delighted that our extremely hard-working staff have been recognised by inspectors as providing caring, compassionate and responsive care."
Alasdair Pattinson, general manager at Dr Gray's, said: "Our goal is to make Dr Gray's one of the best local hospitals in the country.
"We are grateful to HIS for their feedback and will use this as a springboard to further improve services."