INSPECTORS have criticised a hospital in the Borders for lapses in care which saw one elderly patient transported along a corridor in a bathing hoist and another moved beds four times in one day.
A planned three-day inspection of Borders General Hospital in Melrose identified 13 areas for improvement in its care of elderly patients on acute wards.
Inspectors from Healthcare Improvement Scotland, who visited the hospital between July 17-19 this year, said they were concerned about a number of weaknesses in relation to patient dignity – such as patients' catheter bags been left exposed and notices easily visible on room doors or at a patient's bedside indicating they needed help to eat.
The inspectors highlighted the example of a patient whose private parts had been exposed as they were carried along the hospital corridor in a bath hoist.
In their report, published yesterday, the inspectors said: "A bathing hoist does not have any means to hold a patient safely when moving patients over long distances. When we spoke with staff, they said the hoist should not have been used for transporting the patient in this way. Use of the bathing hoist was not dignified for the patient in a public area."
The inspectors also raised concerns about patients being moved too frequently – sometimes at short notice, interrupting meal times or even in the middle of the night. On one occasion two patients were unable to finish their lunch as ambulance staff arrived to transfer them to another hospital.
However, the inspectors also noted that the food served to patients was well presented and looked appetising and that staff were knowledgeable and well informed about individual patients' dietary needs. They also added that overall patients were positive about the care they received at the hospital.
Calum Campbell, NHS Borders chief executive, said: "The inspection was detailed and we have taken a lot of positives from it. The report shows real progress has been made and that we have the procedures and structures in place to provide appropriate care for our older patients."
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