Surgical decontamination unit 'must be replaced' after £2m repairs

An Aberdeen surgical decontamination unit, which closed for almost four months, needs to be completely replaced.

Hundreds of surgeries and procedures were delayed after an unknown substance was found on instruments processed through the Central Decontamination Unit at Foresterhill last year.

Now, an NHS Grampian budget report says the whole facility has to be renewed.

The health board was forced to pause non-urgent surgeries and only focus on emergency, cancer, and C-section procedures.

Nearly 1,500 hospital procedures and appointments were postponed as a result.

Surgical instruments had to be manually sterilized and other health boards were drafted in to help out, in order to maintain surgical services

The CDU resumed full operation in January after the Scottish Government provided £2 million in extra funding, but a new budget report says it must eventually be replaced because of its age.

£500,000 would be set aside to develop plans for a new facility

The report goes before NHS Grampian’s board on Thursday.