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.

Concerns about future of Peterhead hospital as investigations continue after legionella detection

Some services continue to be run from Fraserburgh three months after the health alarm was raised.

Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid has concerns about the future of health services in Peterhead.
Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid has concerns about the future of health services in Peterhead.

Concerns have been raised about the future of a hospital ward in Peterhead three months on from when it closed due to a legionella outbreak.

Several wards and departments were shut in February when the bacteria was detected in water.

However, despite the maternity and minor injury units being restored to the Peterhead Community Hospital, the Summers Ward has not returned since legionella was detected and continues to be run from Fraserburgh.

NHS Grampian says there is no timescale for when the unit, which provides acute care, short-term rehabilitation and palliative care, will return to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Banff and Buchan MP David Duguid says patients and staff need clarity about the future of the facility.

Summers Ward run from Fraserburgh as legionella works continue

NHS Grampian put in place various safety measures when legionella was detected at the Peterhead Community Hospital.

Families reported they were not allowed to use water, or flush toilets, while patients were cleaned by wet wipes.

The situation has since improved with the minor injury and maternity units both returning to service.

However, Mr Duguid has pressed health bosses on the future of the Summers Ward at Peterhead Community Service while 15 patients continue to be treated in the unit’s temporary home in Fraserburgh while the legionella investigations continue.

The maternity unit at Peterhead Community Hospital was closed after legionella was discovered. Image: Scott Baxter/DC Thomson.

He said: “While I’m glad the 15 patients are receiving treatment, it is not always practical, especially for the elderly, to travel 20 miles to Fraserburgh for inpatient care when they should be seen in their home community.

“I also worry about the impact it is having on Fraserburgh Community Hospital which was already under extreme pressure before the outbreak at Peterhead.

“I fear the longer this goes on, the more likely it is for NHS Grampian to continue with this set-up which would be hugely detrimental to healthcare provision in Peterhead and across Banff and Buchan.”

In a letter, NHS Grampian chief executive Caroline Hiscox explained work was continuing to investigate the problems that caused the legionella outbreak.

Caroline Hiscox has spoken about the pressures NHS Grampian is currently under. Image: Paul Glendell/ DC Thomson
NHS Grampian chief executive Caroline Hiscox. Image: Paul Glendell/ DC Thomson

She said: “In relation to Summers Ward, I am afraid it is not possible to give a timescale when it will return to Peterhead Hospital because investigative and remedial works are still being done.

“Once those have been completed, the system will need to be cleaned and tested. On a positive note, though, Summers Ward continues to operate in Fraserburgh Community Hospital and currently has 15 in-patients on the ward.”

What is legionella?

Legionella bacteria can grow in water supplies that have not been used for long periods as well as air conditioning systems, humidifiers and hot tubs.

Becoming infected can cause the potentially fatal Legionnaire’s disease, which is a form of pneumonia.

Legionella which is in Western Isles Hospital pipeline
Legionella bacteria can develop when water supplies are not used for prolonged periods. Picture by Shutterstock

However, cases of the lung infection are not common in Scotland with cases usually linked to travel overseas.

Health and safety laws exist for employers and landlords to take steps to minimise the risk of the bacteria growing.

Conversation