NHS Borders welcomes BGH inspection report

The hospital was under extreme pressure at the time, with increased admissions, long waiting times for care and reduced staff availability.

Staff were widely praised for their efforts despite those pressures, but the inspectors also highlighted some areas which required improvement.

The inspection focused on the ‘safe delivery of care’ and considered a number of factors.

The report highlights many areas of good practice including positive and respectful interactions between patients and staff, good teamwork and innovative ways of addressing the challenges of staffing and patient flow through the hospital.

Areas for improvement include a consistent approach to patient mealtime support and accurate and consistent completion of all patient documentation, as well as the poor state of flooring in some parts of the hospital.

Executive director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals, Sarah Horan, said: “I am immensely proud of our staff, who the Inspectors overwhelmingly observed to be patient-centred and diligent. The report acknowledges the sustained pressures that we face across the health and care system, so to receive positive feedback during such challenging times reinforces the commitment of staff to our values of care, compassion, dignity and respect.

“I hope that staff are encouraged by this report as they continue to carry out their jobs in difficult circumstances.”

Associate director of nursing, Elaine Dickson added: “The feedback provided from inspections is always welcomed, and the areas of improvement identified by the Inspectors are detailed in our improvement action plan, with the majority already complete.

“I echo Sarah’s thanks to everyone who was involved in the inspection and extend my thanks to all staff across NHS Borders who continue to work tirelessly and selflessly to deliver care to the people of the Borders during a period of exceptional strain on health and social care services.”

Donna Maclean, head of service at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said: “At the time of inspection, Borders General Hospital was experiencing a significant range of pressures.

“Although there were challenges, staff responded positively, delivering effective patient care. During the huddles staff adopted a person-centred approach, prioritising wards with the highest levels of patient risk and discussing how these risks would be managed and mitigated. We also saw patients treated with dignity and respect, and teams working collaboratively to meet patient needs.

“Our report highlights some areas for improvement, including the management of patient mealtimes, documentation of care, hand hygiene, and required improvements in the poor state of repair of flooring throughout the hospital.

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