Hundreds of patient medical records feared lost after plumbing leak

Hundreds of patient medical records are feared to have been destroyed after a plumbing leak at a hospital in Elgin, Moray.

Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin

Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin became aware of the “significant leak” on 15 January, which was caused by a pipe blockage on the floor above the records storage area.

Following the discovery, the area was sealed off to staff and industrial dehumidifiers were brought in to dry it out ahead of a deep clean.

NHS Grampian said there had “not yet” been any delays to patient treatment due to the incident and it was working to establish how many records had been lost.

Alasdair Pattinson, general manager at Dr Gray’s Hospital, said: “We are still working to understand how many records have been damaged beyond repair at which point we will have a fuller picture.

“Once we have this information, we will be in direct contact with those individuals affected.

“It is far too early to put an exact number on how many records this may be, but we suspect this will be several hundred.”

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Mr Pattinson said the hospital had taken advice from health and safety and infection and control colleagues, and is “confident the risk to staff is being appropriately managed”.

Mr Pattinson added: “I would also like to remind and make a plea to everyone – visitors, patients, and staff – that the only items which should be flushed down toilets are pee, poo, and toilet paper.

“Items like paper towels, wipes or sanitary towels must never be flushed. They put plumbing systems under undue pressure and should be placed in the appropriate available bin.”