NHS Orkney has been handed an improvement notice for putting staff and patient safety at risk due to ineffective planning and training.
The Health and Safety Executive visited Balfour Hospital and had concerns about the safety and welfare of clinical, domestic and porter staff due to a lack of planning and “necessary” training.
Their review also found the safety of patients “at risk of suicide or self-harm” in the mental health transfer room was compromised.
The HSE has now issued an improvement notice.
Failed to ensure safety of staff
In their report, inspectors said: “You have failed to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of your employees.
“In that arrangements for the effective planning of the preventative and protective measures required to reduce the risks posed to clinical, domestic and portering staff who may be exposed to violence at work have not been made.”
It also said they had failed to give the “necessary information, instruction and training” to the same staff.
Environment poses risk of serious injury
The notice went on to mention other deemed dangers to patients at risk of suicide or self-harm in the mental health transfer room in the hospital.
The report stated: “It is foreseeable that patients at risk of suicide or self-harm will need to be accommodated in this room and you have failed to remove, or adequately control, environmental ligature risks present in the patient areas.”
It made particularly mention of the bathroom attached to the room which had several fixings such as a wall mounted thermostat and emergency pull cord.
Unless at risk patients were directly supervised by trained staff, these fixtures could risk “serious injury”, particularly if patients self-isolate.
The report added: “This environment poses a risk to such patients due to the presence of multiple ligature points and appropriate systems of work have not been established to prevent such patients self isolating and thereby self harming or completing suicide.”
Still ‘some distance to travel’
A spokeswoman for NHS Orkney said: “The Health and Safety Executive has been reviewing our progress and on their last visit, recognised the significant effort that has gone into getting us to where we are, however, there remains some distance to travel.
“We have been working hard to address the issues identified through increased training and onboarding additional staff, however like others have faced challenges due to pressures caused by Covid.
“We are eager not to let our progress slip and the HSE will be back to inspect us ahead of our next deadline.”
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