Almost 1,200 sewage spills in Scottish hospitals

By Bill Heaney

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has called on the Scottish Government to invest in fixing Scotland’s healthcare facilities as he revealed that almost 1,200 sewage spills took place in hospitals in the past five years.

Freedom of information requests submitted by Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed:

• 1,197 sewage leaks in hospitals since 2019.
• 8 health boards have recorded spills (Ayrshire & Arran, Fife, Forth Valley, Grampian, Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Highland, Lanarkshire and Lothian).
• Greater Glasgow & Clyde was the health board with the most spills with 761, followed by Lanarkshire with 342 and Grampian with 56.
• Hospitals recording multiple spills include Glasgow Royal Infirmary (308), Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow (171), Stratheden hospital in Cupar, Fife (12) and Royal Cornhill hospital, Aberdeen (12).

The story comes weeks after Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed that there had been more than two dozen sewage spills in highland healthcare facilities in recent years, including 15 at Raigmore Acute Hospital in Inverness.

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, LEFT,  said: “Healthcare workers have enough on their plate without dealing with smelly sewage spills in their workplace.

“I hope that health boards will be able to offer assurances that these issues have been addressed and will not happen again.

“When budgets are tight, improving facilities and even basic maintenance can fall down the pecking order.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats are committed to delivering swift, local healthcare for everyone in the highlands. That means investing in the facilities that patients and staff rely on, ensuring that they are fit for purpose and won’t deliver any unpleasant surprises.”