Caithness General Hospital ward closes after heating fails
PROBLEMS with the heating system at Caithness General Hospital in Wick have closed the Queen Elizabeth Rehabilitation Unit .
The ward was closed at 5pm on Sunday after a corroded heating pipe caused the system to fail. Engineers are currently working on site to carry out the necessary repairs.
The renal unit and occupational therapy department were also affected, but contingencies put in place mean these services are able to continue from their usual locations. Dialysis is continuing for all patients requiring the treatment during this period.
The 11 patients in Queen Elizabeth ward were transferred to areas within the hospital that were unaffected – four patients were moved into the day case unit and seven were moved into Bignold ward.
The hospital remains open for new admissions with bed availability being reassessed on a regular basis.
Locality general manager Pauline Craw said: “All wards and departments have business continuity plans in place in case of such events and these are working well.
“It is not possible to say at this stage when patients will be able to return to their wards.”