Hospital cleaning unit reopens after four-month shutdown

NHS Grampian's Central Decontamination Unit (CDU), which cleans surgical tools, has reopened after being closed for almost four months.

The facility at Foresterhill in Aberdeen was closed in October after an unknown substance thought to be linked to a faulty piece of equipment was found on instruments.

Almost 1,500 procedures and appointments were postponed as a result, with other health boards drafted in to help clean equipment.

NHS Grampian said the first of its new CDU machines had been installed and the unit was now operating.

The health authority said training was ongoing for some staff, with others already trained.

In a joint statement, chief executive Laura Skaife-Knight and executive nurse director June Brown said: "We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of the staff who have supported the extensive CDU refurbishment and recovery work over recent months.

"This is an important milestone in restoring full capacity."

Other health boards have been helping to clean equipment to allow some procedures to continue.

The Scottish government said it had provided £2m additional funding to improve buildings and equipment.

NHS Grampian hopes the CDU refurbishment helps to prevent future shutdowns.

Staff based at Woodend Hospital in Aberdeen, as well as teams at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Highland, had been turning around hundreds of crates of instruments every day to keep urgent care going.