Update - Theatre Disruption, Dr. Gray's Hospital
Published: 17/08/2022 15:21Initial assessments and plans to address the damage to equipment and infrastructure at Dr Gray’s Hospital – following a significant leak from a drainage pipe last week – have been completed.
Pipe work has been fixed and plans to modernise the plumbing system are underway, industrial level cleaning has been done and further deep cleaning of rooms and equipment is ongoing. Ventilation has been checked, IT systems are being brought back online and infection control and prevention remains a priority. Further essential examination of air quality is required before all theatres can be reopened and this will take a number more days to complete.
All elective surgery remains postponed for this week. Business continuity arrangements are being adjusted for emergency surgery, with one operating theatre available and a second to come back into use today. Anyone who is affected by the changes will be contacted by the relevant service.
All necessary checks on the birthing pool have taken place and the facility is now available for use.
Visitors, patients, and colleagues are reminded wet wipes and/or paper towels should not be flushed down the toilet in any healthcare setting. This advice applies to households generally and further advice is available from Scottish Water.
Dr Gray’s Hospital General Manager Alasdair Pattinson commented: “What’s most important is that we continue to put the safety of our staff and patients first and we are making good progress in getting everything back up and running as soon as we can.
“The disruption has clearly generated significant inconvenience for patients, relatives, and staff alike and I would like to extend my apologies once again to everyone whose treatment has been postponed or provided in a health care setting elsewhere.
“Thank you to my whole team here at Dr Gray’s as well as everyone who’s supporting us from across NHS Grampian. It is very much a team effort and the hours, the commitment put in doesn’t go unnoticed.”
Further updates will be issued in the coming days.