Warning issued over private contract at Watford General Hospital (From Watford Observer)

Warning issued over private contract at Watford General Hospital

10:57am Thursday 2nd September 2010 in

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Patients could suffer if plans by hospital bosses to privatise the sterilising of surgical equipment are approved, it has been claimed.

Watford General Hospital is currently in discussions with a private company to outsource its in-house Hospital Surgical Sterilising Unit (HSSU).

Health bosses are negotiating with Ruislip-based IH Sterile Services to disband the existing Watford-based operation and transfer its 16 staff.

If the deal goes ahead the company – which last month was forced to apologise for delivering contaminated equipment to two nearby hospitals – would be responsible for collecting, cleaning and returning hundreds of surgical tools every day.

Staff members, who this week passed a letter of concern to the Watford Observer, fear the money-saving measure will delay the process of returning equipment to operating theatres, increase the risk of infection and reduce efficiency.

They also raised concerns about their future working conditions, job security and pensions if and when they are transferred out of the NHS and into private hands.

The comments come two weeks after the company issued a “wholehearted apology” for returning infected surgical kits to Mount Vernon and Hillingdon hospitals, causing operations to be cancelled.

One staff source from Watford General Hospital, who handed over the letter of concern, said these incidents show what could happen in future.

Their letter also claimed wider opposition to the move among surgeons, adding: “Presumably they can see the serious potentials associated with delays, poor quality wok, the inability to accommodate requests etc. These are our customers: I cannot understand why we are paying so little heed to their opinions.”

IHSS said the matter had been “clearly unacceptable”, adding that an urgent investigation had begun. A spokesman added: “We are dismayed that one of our new, high-tech decontamination units, operated by experienced personnel, has failed in this way. "We apologise wholeheartedly to the patients and hospitals we have inconvenienced."

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Watford General Hospital, confirmed it was in negotiation with the company to transfer the service but denied patients could suffer as a result.

A spokeswoman added: “Following the recent incident, IH Sterile Services has informed the Trust that it has reviewed its processes and implemented actions to ensure that the problem is highly unlikely to reoccur. “The Trust takes patient safety very seriously and would like to reassure its patients that it would not commit to any contract without absolute assurance of a safe service.”