NHS Highland must improve procedures for cleaning the birthing pool at an Argyll hospital after inspectors found blood contamination.
Hospital hygiene inspectors found staff were using the wrong strength of detergent to clean the contamination from the pool at Mid Argyll Community Hospital in Lochgilphead.
In its report, the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) required the trust to make improvements.
Inspectors from HEI made an unannounced visit to the hospital on May 12 and 13, in a follow up inspection to one made last year.
The inspectors found that required improvements and recommendations made following last year’s visit had been met.
However, they raised concerns about the cleaning of the pool.
In the report inspectors said: “We looked at the current method used for cleaning the birthing pool in the labour room.
“We found that staff were using the wrong strength of chlorine-releasing detergent to clean blood contamination from the birthing pool.
“No standardised procedure is currently in place across NHS Highland for the appropriate decontamination of birthing pools.”
Jacqui Macrae, head of quality of care, said: “Our inspectors were pleased to see that the requirements made at our previous inspection had been addressed satisfactorily by NHS Highland.
“We found that further improvement is needed in standardising the procedure for cleaning the birthing pool, and the hospital is required to review the governance structures to further minimise the risk of infection to patients, visitors and staff. As a result we have made two additional requirements. We expect NHS Highland to address all the requirements we have made as a matter of priority.”
Liz Higgins, lead nurse for Argyll and Bute, said: “We are disappointed, although fully accept, that during the follow up visit in May 2015 the inspectors found that within the maternity department there were areas that required further improvements.
“An action plan has been devised to address the issues identified and is currently being implemented. We are confident that the improvements required can be made speedily and some have already been completed.”