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Children kept on dirty wards at Ormond St
Anna Davis10.02.09
Sick children at high risk of infection were kept on dirty wards at Great Ormond Street hospital and medical equipment was not cleaned properly, a report has revealed.
The leading children's hospital has been criticised for breaching hygiene rules designed to stop the spread of superbugs.
Inspectors from the Healthcare Commission visited the hospital twice in December and found that staff were not properly sterilising medical instruments used for internal examinations. It also found that dust had built up in wards for vulnerable children.
The commission's report said: "We saw reusable equipment used [which] had not been cleaned properly and found that staff members were unclear about who was responsible for cleaning this equipment."
The room used to clean flexible endoscopes, which are long tubes used to look inside a patient's body, was also criticised for being cluttered, with unsuitable sinks and outdated decontamination equipment.
It also warned about the cleanliness of wards.
The report said: "We visited three wards where children who may be particularly vulnerable to infection are cared for and found that the levels of cleanliness and maintenance on the wards varied. We found light dust, which indicated that the published cleaning frequencies were not being adhered to."
The commission has given the hospital six months to improve.
Inspectors also criticised the state of the building, adding that one ward had an area of exposed plasterboard.
But Dr Jane Collins, chief executive of Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, said: "We're entirely clear that correct decontamination is essential for patient and staff safety.
"We are very disappointed to have fallen short in these areas, particularly given our investment in this field. However, we do not believe patients were at risk. We have addressed all these areas and welcome further scrutiny by the commission."
The Healthcare Commission is inspecting every hospital trust to check they are following guidance on how to protect patients from infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile.
There are around two cases of C. diff at Great Ormond Street hospital a month, which is lower than expected, and MRSA rates have been dropping since 2003. Between April and June last year Great Ormond Street had no cases of MRSA.
The report followed a massive fire which ripped through the hospital. An exploding cylinder wrecked the cardiac wing and reduced an entire day ward to rubble in September, causing £1million worth of damage.
Reader views (1)
I recently had to visit a leading hospital within spitting distance of Parliament. Beds were separated by screening curtains which were disposable and even had a date on them. I could not resist the temptation to run a finger over the rails holding them up and there was dust. There was also dust on top of a heart monitor and a bedside lamp. A few minutes with a disposable wipe could have cleaned this up so whats the point of the disposable curtains. Needless to say the patient was asleep whilst i was busying myself!
- Jack Spratt, Richmond, England
