A SECOND Lanarkshire hospital has been slammed over stained mattresses and unsafe use of sharps disposal bins.

Monklands Hospital in Airdrie was the subject of an unannounced inspection by the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI) during which six of nine mattresses inspected were found to be damaged or stained.

During the visit in January, inspectors also discovered that lids on sharps disposal bins, for the disposal of medical supplies, were not always used and found one large sharps bin sitting on a trolley at knee height, without the lid properly fitted.

Also, sharps bins awaiting disposal were being kept on a ward, not in a locked area.

It is the second time Monklands has been warned over how it handles sharps, following an inspection in January last year.

And it comes less than two months after the Evening Times reported on an inspection of Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride, in which inspectors also found stained mattresses and problems with the way sharps were handled.

The HEI issued five requirements as a result of the latest inspection of Monklands.

The first two called for an effective mattress audit system and the implementation of standard precautions in handling sharps. The others relate to infection control. The report found that, overall, "the hospital was clean and well maintained".

NHS Lanarkshire said it had set out a plan to make improvements.

Acting medical director Jane Burns said: "We are carrying out audits to ensure all staff are disposing of sharps correctly."

stef.lach@eveningtimes.co.uk