Surgical cleaning unit 'must be replaced' after £2m repairs

A surgical decontamination unit that was out of action for four months will have to be completely replaced, according to a NHS Grampian report.

Almost 1,500 hospital procedures and appointments were postponed after the Central Decontamination Unit (CDU) at Foresterhill, Aberdeen, was shut in October.

An unknown substance, thought to be linked to a faulty piece of equipment, was found on instruments sent to the facility for cleaning.

The CDU finally resumed full operation at the end of January after £2m was spent on upgrades, but the budget report said the unit must eventually be replaced.

The report to NHS Grampian's board said the unit's age meant it must be fully replaced in the longer term.

It said: "The NHS Grampian decontamination services are critical to the operation of acute services, various clinics and community healthcare.

"The aged facility and associated backlog maintenance risk mean a replacement facility is required.

"There is currently no alternative service provision with sufficient capacity locally and there have been recent instances where service has been lost impacting significantly on clinical activity."

The report said work on plans for a new facility would be developed over the coming year.

If the health authority's annual budget is approved by board members on Thursday, £500,000 would be set aside for the project.

The Scottish government spent £2m to improve buildings and equipment after last year's shutdown.

When it reopened, NHS Grampian said it hoped the CDU refurbishment would help to prevent future problems.

Staff based at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen, as well as teams at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Highland, helped to keep urgent care going.