Inspection report for Forth Valley Royal Hospital

The inspection took place on April 5-7, 2022, with a return visit on April 19.

The safe delivery of care inspections of acute hospitals across NHS Scotland aims to take account of the changing risk considerations and sustained service pressures relating from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking about the report, Donna Maclean, head of service, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said: “At the time of inspection, Forth Valley Royal Hospital, was experiencing a significant range of pressures associated with Covid-19, including increased hospital admissions, increased waiting times in emergency departments and reduced staff availability.

Picture Michael Gillen. Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert received an inspection earlier this year.

“During our inspection, we saw many good interactions between staff and patients, and observed examples of good team work and communication. There were also positive comments made by patients about the staff who provided their care.

”During our inspection, we escalated a number of serious concerns to NHS Forth Valley through our escalation process, some of these concerns included ward doors within the hospital being locked, without the process within the Board’s own locked door policy being followed.

"Another concern related to patients being placed in additional beds and non-standard care areas to accommodate increased patient numbers.

"The additional beds and non-standard care areas raised a number of concerns such as: lack of accessibility for cleaning, patient placement, access in an emergency, and patient privacy and patient dignity.

“Some staff we spoke with shared their concerns and feelings of being overwhelmed, particularly in relation to the additional beds and workload and they expressed feelings of frustration at staffing levels.

“In order to prioritise the requirements from this inspection, an action plan has been developed by NHS Forth Valley.”

The full inspection report is available to view on the Healthcare Improvement Scotland website.