A revamped facility opened at Western Isles Hospital, promising safer surgeries for hundreds of patients.
NHS Western Isles chief executive Gordon Jamieson officially opened the redeveloped Central Decontamination Unit (CDU) yesterday.
He said: “As we look to the future we plan and take the necessary steps to improve the quality and sustainability of our facilities.
“To that end, we have extended and modernised our CDU.
“Safe and effective cleaning and sterilisation of a wide range of clinical equipment and instrumentation is a critical part of our care system.
“I am delighted with what has been delivered here and thank all staff and partners involved.”
Alongside additional staff space, the redevelopment project includes the installation of new a decontamination plant and equipment, with extra capacity and redundancy built into every system to ensure that the facility can continue to process even if more than one element fails.
The new plant and equipment has been designed, purchased and configured in a manner that permits each machine to operate independently from each other – allowing any one element to be removed for service and testing without affecting anything else in the area, or the decontamination process, or volume of instruments being processed.
Designed by architect Gordon Anderson, the project’s construction work was undertaken by Lewis Builders Ltd.
Space within the wash room, inspection and packing, and sterile storage areas has been increased, making the working environment more comfortable and safe; and new staff changing, shower facilities, and break room have also been added.