A blocked drain caused waste to run into a corridor of Orkney’s new £65 million hospital, it has emerged.
NHS Orkney admitted a problem with “effluent” at the Balfour Hospital in Kirkwall and called the situation “unpleasant”
Health bosses said they have had a dozen blocked loos since the building opened at the end of May – and there was no infection risk from the problem.
They added that hospital users were flushing hand towels down the toilets and it was this, rather than a sewage problem, that caused the spillage.
However, one hospital user told the Press and Journal that he had seen raw sewage in the toilets.
John MacLeod, who took his disabled son into one of the toilets last week, said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was raw sewage everywhere, and there was no sign up to say why it was happening or warning us not to be in the toilet. It was disgusting.”
Stressing there was no raw sewage inside the hospital, NHS Orkney chief executive Gerry O’Brien said: “The facility is used by around 1,000 people each day and since opening, around 100 days ago, Robertson Facilities Management have dealt with around a dozen instances of toilets or sinks being blocked and overflowing – this has mainly been caused by paper towels being flushed into our system.
“The particular instance referred to in the out-patient area was unpleasant with effluent running into the corridor, this was caused by a blocked drain which was cleared and the area was cleaned and inspected by our infection control team.”
Robertson Facilities Management who have a contract to maintain the hospital for the next 25 years declined to comment on the number of snags in the building, and referred to the statement from NHS Orkney in regard to issues with the toilets.
In reference to a report that tradesmen were being advertised for on social media, the spokesman for Robertson said it was normal for the company to be recruiting, adding: “And they’re obviously doing so from within the local population.”
