Serious concerns have been raised by health inspectors about the state of Aberdeen Maternity Hospital amid reports of blood-stained equipment and dirty wards.
Officials on three unannounced visits to the NHS Grampian facility found “significant” issues with the neo-natal unit, operating theatre and procedure room.
Among the findings were bodily fluids on walls, blood on bed rails, frames and mattresses, dust on ventilators and contamination to incubators and cots.
It is the third time in the last four years that NHS Grampian has been criticised, with previous unfavourable reports in 2009 and 2010.
Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) chief inspector Susan Brimelow said she has “escalated” the matter by contacting the Scottish Government.
Yesterday, north-east politicians said standards must improve and argued patients should “rightly expect” hospitals to be clean.
Margaret Watt, chairwoman of Scotland Patients’ Association, said the heath board should “get its act together” and called on chief executive Richard Carey to resign.
NHS Grampian insisted the issues raised in the report, made public yesterday, have been tackled “as a matter of urgency” and all seven recommendations are being addressed.
The health board also said the report highlighted the need for a new operating theatre, which is already planned and scheduled to open “very soon”.
In a statement, NHS Grampian said: “We acknowledge that at the time of the inspection in August there were areas where our normally high standards of environmental cleanliness were not being met.
“This is disappointing for a hospital with a very good record in infection control and for whom preventing infections is a priority.”
The health board also admitted there were challenges in maintaining infection control and other technical standards in “aging” facilities, such as Aberdeen Maternity Hospital.
NHS Grampian said plans will need to be drawn up in the next few years for a replacement maternity hospital at the Foresterhill complex.
Chief executive Richard Carey said it was “vitally important” that the health board learns from the inspection and “acts swiftly” on its recommendations.
He added: “Patient safety is at the core of what we do and remains a top priority for all our staff to whom I am very grateful for their tireless efforts to address the Inspectorate’s concerns”.
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