Dunfermline Press | Opinion | Wake-up call for health boards

Thursday, 4th December, 2008

Published: Tuesday, 12th August, 2008 12:00

Wake-up call for health boards

LAST week saw the shocking report on the C-Diff outbreak and deaths at Vale of Leven Hospital. This should be a wake-up call to all Scottish health boards. The part of the report I noted was the fact that the Vale of Leven Hospital, which was targeted for downgrading over the last few years, suffered from lack of general maintenance and upgrading work.

Here in Fife we have come 2012 Forth Park Hospital surplus to requirement and wards and parts of the Queen Margaret Hospital due for mothball or other use. Both these areas are having extended use due to delays to original schedule for the new Victoria Hospital extension. Already there are concerns being voiced that Forth Park is showing signs of becoming run down.

While in no way can we compare Fife’s situation to that of Vale of Leven’s it is imperative that general maintenance and facilities at both the Queen Margaret and Forth Park are kept at A1 standard until no longer required and that the board is not tempted to cut down maintenance to save costs.

To allow hospital areas to become run down will lead to a situation where normal cleaning standards will not suffice in the battle against hospital-acquired infections.

John Winton,

(Local Health Concern),

104 Castlandhill Road, Rosyth

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