Hospital bosses are poised to fund a £1.6million project to help prevent patients from hurting themselves, following an order from the Health and Safety Executive.
An outline for the work at Royal Cornhill Hospital in Aberdeen will be put before the NHS Grampian board for approval this morning.
The HSE has said the work is required to keep the wards safe while £9m of rolling upgrades are implemented across the facility.
Last year contractors removed all identified ligature points from the Huntly ward, while a £2.5m construction project is under way at the Fraser ward.
Once it is completed in October, upgrades worth £5m including new en-suite facilities and interview rooms will be added to two further wards. Similar improvements will then follow at two others.
However the HSE has said NHS Grampian must look to remove items which could be used for self-harm in any other areas of the hospital where patients may be staying before they are transferred to one of the upgraded wards.
This will include the replacement of items including beds, door handles and bents.
The board papers said: “A detailed cost implementation plan is under development but initial estimates suggest the cost will be in the region of £100,000 to £200,000 per ward, or up to £1.6m.”
