PATIENTS are being put at risk from outbreaks in Scotland's hospitals because infection control experts have been "sidelined" during building design, MSPs have warned.

In a letter to the Health Secretary, Lewis Macdonald, convener of the Health and Sport Committee, said it had heard "deeply concerning" accounts of that new facilities were "not fit for purpose" in relation to ventilation, plumbing and the management of environmental hazards.

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It follows evidence submitted to the committee as part of its inquiry into the healthcare environment across NHS Scotland launched in the wake fungal infection deaths at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow.

The Crown Office is investigating the deaths of a 10-year-old boy in December and a woman aged 73 in January, who died after contracting infections linked to pigeon droppings thought to have been spread through ventilation shafts.

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There have also been concerns about infection control at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh after six heart surgery patients contracted rare fungal infections caused by moulds not normally found in the hospital environment.

An undisclosed number of these patients later died.

Mr Macdonald said: "One of the anonymous submissions we received stated that current systems and processes for managing environmental hazards were inadequate.

"Infection control personnel were either sidelined during design and planning of health facilities or advice was circumvented due to ignorance, time and resource implications."

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He added that the committee had been told that "inadequate ventilation systems have been installed in new build hospitals" which are "not fit for purpose for the specialist patient groups they are intended for e.g. bone transplant and haematology wards".

Mr Macdonald stressed that the data provided to the committee by Health Protection Scotland indicated that infection incidents linked to the healthcare environment are low, with just 48 recorded between April 1 2016 and January 31 2019.

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However, he said the committee feared there is "limited opportunity" for any external body to detect problems with the NHS estates and maintenance which could be increasing infection risk as the current system "relies on the presumption that NHS boards are complying with guidance".

Health boards are obliged to assess building designs against a risk assessment tool known as HAI-SCRIBE (Healthcare Associated Infection System for Controlling Risk in the Built Environment).

Mr Macdonald said: "Our concern is the onus is placed on NHS boards to ensure compliance with this guidance.

"There does not appear to be an external assessment made of whether this is being achieved.

"Also, when the guidance is not being adhered to by NHS boards there does not appear to be a route for this to be addressed to ensure compliance is achieved.

"This is also borne out in the evidence received by the Committee from senior infection control personnel within the NHS who state that they have raised concerns on numerous occasions but they were not listened to or they were not acted upon.

Some felt their only option was to whistleblow."

He cited evidence from microbiologists from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who said they had highlighted potential problems with the design of the QEUH in relation to infection control in 2014, and again in 2015, before resorting to whistleblowing in 2017.

Inadequate cleaning of wards and hospital rooms was also flagged in testimony to the committee, with one submission claiming that "if the room is visually clean then cleaning is not carried out" and the use of microfibre mops in some hospitals "do not remove dirt but just re-disperse it elsewhere".

The Health and Sport Committee is seeking a response from Health Secretary Jeane Freeman by May 14 in relation to concerns raised by their inquiry.

Mr Macdonald added: “The recent incidents of infection in Scotland’s hospitals will have been alarming for many members of the public.

"Although the evidence shows that the prevalence of health problems acquired as a consequence of the healthcare environment in Scotland is relatively low, the Committee’s inquiry has shown there are several areas of concern.

“Most crucially, it is clear the current monitoring and surveillance methods are not adequate.

“Swift action must be taken to address these issues and we want to ensure proactive testing is undertaken so that incidents of infection are identified early to prevent outbreaks and reduce risk to patients to an absolute minimum.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The recent infection incidents have had a devastating impact on the families involved, and we sympathise with all those affected.

"That’s why we are clear that all health boards must make infection prevention and control an absolute priority each and every day. 

“There are robust measures in place across the NHS to prevent infections and other harms, and there have been substantial improvements made over the last decade in terms of a reduction in overall hospital infection rates across Scotland.

“Health Protection Scotland has developed national infection prevention and control policies, including mechanisms for escalation and management of outbreaks.

"They work in partnership with Health Facilities Scotland to ensure that good infection prevention and control is built into the design of new and existing healthcare premises, and based on the best available evidence.”