A leaking pipe at a hospital in the United Kingdom is feared to have destroyed hundreds of patient medical records.
Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin became aware of the leak on January 15th 2024. It was caused by a blockage the hospital believe was a result of foreign objects being flushed down toilets.
The leak took place in the floor directly above the record storage area. Industrial dehumidifiers were brought in to try and dry out the impacted room, which was sealed off to staff.
Once moisture has been removed from the area, a deep clean will take place. The hospital will then assess how many medical records have been lost.
General manager at Dr Gray’s Hospital, Alasdair Pattinson, said: “We are still working to understand how many records have been damaged beyond repair at which point we will have a fuller picture. Once we have this information, we will be in direct contact with those individuals affected.”
“It is far too early to put an exact number on how many records this may be, but we suspect this will be several hundred.”
The incident highlights the importance of rapid pipe repair in hospitals. Having pipe repair kits already on site enables a hospital to respond instantly the moment a burst or leaking pipe is discovered, reducing the amount of damage caused and disruption to services.
NHS Grampian said eight days after the leak that patient treatment was yet to suffer any delays due to the incident. The hospital is taking ongoing advice from health and safety and infection control experts to ensure the risk to patients and staff is appropriately managed.
Mr Pattinson added: “I would also like to remind and make a plea to everyone – visitors, patients, and staff – that the only items which should be flushed down toilets are pee, poo, and toilet paper.”
“Items like paper towels, wipes or sanitary towels must never be flushed. They put plumbing systems under undue pressure and should be placed in the appropriate available bin.”
Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross represents the Moray seat where Dr Gray’s Hospital is located. Mr Ross said: “Everyone in the area knows someone who has been a patient at the hospital in Elgin so they will be concerned that the records that have been destroyed beyond repair could be their own.”
“That is why it is imperative for NHS Grampian to be fully transparent about this incident and the circumstances behind it.”
“I am seriously concerned that any patients records could ever be put in a position where if something like this occurred, they would be left in an irretrievable state.”
“They must urgently outline what robust measures will be – or better still – already have been put in place to make sure every effort has been taken to avoid any more records being destroyed.”
Figures obtained last year via freedom of information requests to NHS trusts in England underlined the scale of pipe-related problems faced by hospitals.
456 sewage leaks were recorded over a 12 month period at an average of more than one-per-day. Incidents included multiple cases of urine and faeces flowing into hospital rooms, cancer wards, maternity units and A&E departments.
The NHS needs to spend an estimated £10.2 billion just on clearing a backlog of repairs and maintenance which should have already been carried out.
£1.8 billion is required immediately for “high-risk” repairs needed to prevent catastrophic failure, major disruption or deficiencies in safety which could cause serious injury.
Leave a Reply