Home / Health / NHS Grampian's Faulty Unit Halts Surgeries
NHS Grampian's Faulty Unit Halts Surgeries
9 Dec
Summary
- Nearly 1,500 surgeries and appointments were postponed due to a faulty decontamination unit.
- A faulty piece of equipment led to an unknown substance found on surgical tools.
- Other health boards are assisting NHS Grampian with instrument cleaning.
NHS Grampian has seen over 1,492 surgeries and appointments postponed since October due to a faulty Central Decontamination Unit (CDU) used for cleaning surgical instruments. The facility closed after an unknown substance was discovered on equipment, believed to be linked to a malfunctioning machine. This closure resulted in the postponement of 753 elective surgical procedures and 739 dental outpatient appointments.
Operations are no longer being postponed, with acute medical director Paul Bachoo anticipating a refurbished CDU facility to be operational by the end of January. To mitigate the impact, staff from other health boards, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Highland, have been cleaning hundreds of instruments daily. Manual washing, including the use of toothbrushes for initial decontamination, is being employed to ensure effectiveness.
This incident highlights broader capacity challenges within Scotland's decontamination services, with previous postponements in other health boards like NHS Lothian in 2022. Plans for new decontamination facilities have also been delayed by the Scottish government's clampdown on new NHS building projects, underscoring the need for more resilient systems.
