Caithness General ward reopened

Heating problems have been solved

THE heating problems which caused the closure of Queen Elizabeth Rehabilitation Unit at Caithness General Hospital in Wick have been repaired and it has reopened today.
The ward was closed at 5pm on Sunday November 27 after a corroded heating pipe caused the heating system to fail.
The 11 patients in the ward were transferred to other areas of the hospital that were unaffected by the heating problems, with four patients being moved into the Day Case Unit and seven to Bignold Ward. Patients and staff have now returned to QE ward.
The Renal Unit and Occupational Therapy Department were also affected, but these services continued to be delivered from their usual locations.
The hospital remained open for new admissions throughout this period.
Locality General Manager, Pauline Craw, said: “All wards and departments have business continuity plans in place in case of such events and these worked well. Local heating firm, JGC Welding, Harpsdale, was extremely quick to come to our aid and we are very grateful to them for carrying out the repairs so quickly."
Mrs Craw added: "We would also like to thank patients and relatives for their patience during this inconvenience and hospital staff and staff from NHS Highland’s estates department for managing this so well. The domestic staff took this as an opportunity to completely deep clean the whole department and they worked so hard during this time. We are reassured once again of our staff’s commitment to providing the highest quality care possible even during adverse conditions.”