§ Lord Vivianasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which hospitals in the Portsmouth area have had to delay patient operations due to the poor quality of surgical instruments; and what is the average period of delay; and [HL15]
How many patients have been admitted to the Royal Hospital Haslar due to delayed patient operations in hospitals in the Portsmouth area. [HL16]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath)Waiting lists at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, part of the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, have been affected due to difficulties with their hospital sterilisation and decontamination unit. It is not possible to calculate the average period of delay from data held centrally.
An action plan is in place to address the problems, including installation of a new washer at Queen Alexandra Hospital and ordering an additional washer for St. Mary's Hospital, new maintenance/ breakdown support arrangements; improved quality assurance methods; and the provision of £475,000 for the purchase of additional instruments, including orthopaedic instruments. In addition, spare capacity at other hospitals, including the Royal Hospital Haslar, is being identified. It is estimated that an additional 10 to 12 orthopaedic operations a week are being carried out on the Haslar site as a result.