Inspectors have criticised the state of Inverclyde Royal in a new report which highlights a building with areas ‘in a poor state of repair and not well maintained’.

Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) carried out an unannounced inspection on the 284-bed hospital in October and have now released their findings.

While hard-pressed hospital staff are widely praised throughout the report, it reveals how watchdogs discovered the majority of trolley mattresses inspected in A&E were ‘damaged and contaminated’, a failure so serious it had to be raised immediately with senior management and rectified within days.

In other ward areas inspectors found dusty equipment, with staff disclosing that ‘they did not have enough time to complete cleaning’.

Inspectors said that all areas in the hospital had ‘very cluttered’ storerooms and corridors, with equipment in one area preventing access to an emergency exit.

The report says that in ward areas inspectors found a series of shortcomings.

It states: ‘We observed that many beds and bed rails were old, worn and damaged, making them difficult to be effectively cleaned and decontaminated.

‘At a follow-up discussion, senior managers told us there should be an ongoing programme for the replacement of equipment.

‘However, this did not reflect our findings as the majority of beds we observed were worn and damaged.’

The report also said that while domestic staff work hard to maintain a clean environment, they are let down by the fabric of the building, describing it as ‘tired, worn and damaged in a number of areas’.

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