The amount of money spent by hospitals on cleaning varies hugely depending on which part of the country they’re in, it has been revealed.
Analysis of data by the Scottish Conservatives has shown that some major acute hospitals spend as little as £34 per square metre per year, while others invest more than double that amount.
It’s the latest in a series of revelations which call into question hygiene and infection control procedures in Scotland’s hospitals.
Last month, two patients at the flagship Queen Elizabeth hospital died after contracting an infection spread by pigeon droppings at the £840 million facility.
Now it has emerged the Glasgow hospital spends just £40 per square metre on cleaning, below the national average of £49.
The ISD Scotland figures show huge disparity in spending across the country.
Ninewells hospital in Dundee spends just £34 per square metre, the same amount as Raigmore hospital in Inverness.
In contrast, the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary spends £91, with the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary investing £54.
Today, the Scottish Conservatives will seek the approval of Holyrood’s Health Committee to conduct an investigation into the scandal at the Queen Elizabeth, and the wider issue of what the Scottish Government knew about infection risks there and in other health board areas.
Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said:
“Given the different sizes, responsibilities and geographic locations of these hospitals, it would be unrealistic to expect an identical spend.
“However, these statistics show some hospitals are spending considerably less than half the amount of other facilities of comparable size and specialty.
“The SNP government is in sole charge of health in Scotland, and needs to explain why that is as a matter of urgency.
“The tragic deaths at the Queen Elizabeth have really shone a spotlight on the importance of hygiene and infection control in hospitals.
“We need to see some kind of parity across the country in what hospitals are prepared to spend on cleaning, and the SNP government needs to make sure they have the resources to do that.”
