Water at Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary 'safe to drink' after contamination scare

Ban on patients drinking water lifted

Several wards at the Infirmary were affected by the contamination scare

PATIENTS in several wards at Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary were banned from drinking the hospital’s tap water for nearly a week after a contamination scare.

Bottled water was handed out at the Capital’s flagship hospital after debris was found in what NHS Lothian described as “a small number” of taps.

Filters were fitted to the taps. And a source told the Evening News staff had also been told they should sanitise their hands after they had used the tap water.

But after the hospital launched an investigation and tests were carried out, the health board said the water was safe to drink.

It is understood the alert was raised last week and patients were given an information sheet on Wednesday, telling them not to drink the water and assuring them that measures were being taken to keep them safe and investigate the problem.

The wards affected were 101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, OPD1 and OPD2.

It was only after a meeting yesterday afternoon that NHS Lothian said the matter had been resolved and there was “no issue”.

The health board said it had established that the debris that caused the issue was sediment that was dislodged as part of maintenance work.

Water contamination was one issue among a catalogue of problems at Glasgow’s troubled Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. An investigation report published last month found the “wrong” kind of steel was used in the water pipes, as well as the wrong diameter of pipework. And it revealed there had been “multiple” references uncovered in documents which showed pipes had been left with open ends, allowing water, debris and even “small creatures” to enter.

Brain operations at Edinburgh’s Western General were suspended for a while in March last year after pseudomonas bacteria was found in a shower and taps.

Pseudomonas was also found in taps at the new unopened Sick Kids hospital, next door to the Royal Infirmary, but was said not be a cause for alarm.

A spokesman for NHS Lothian initially said yesterday that debris had been found in the cold water supply at the Infirmary, with only a small number of taps affected in one section of the hospital.

After the meeting, Dr Tracey Gillies, NHS Lothian medical director, said: “We were aware of a potential issue that could impact water quality in a small number of areas within the Royal Infirmary building.

“While the issue was being resolved, alternative arrangements were made for both patients and staff, which included the use of bottled water and filters on taps.

“These steps were purely precautionary until further investigation and water testing could be completed. There were no cases of infection associated with this issue.

“Our investigations are now complete, and we have received confirmation that the water is free from bacterial contamination and safe to drink.”