MORE than a 1,000 operations were cancelled after a service that cleans surgical equipment for Glasgow’s hospitals was shut suddenly due to safety fears, the health board has revealed.

The Cowlairs Decontamination Unit, in Sprinburn, was closed around two weeks ago after an independent inspection raised concerns, which the board said were related to the fabric of the building. No further details have been given about the issues.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said a total of 1,075 planned operations had been cancelled over the two-week period at hospitals including the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Stobhill and Gartnavel. They include some ‘urgent’ cancer operations, hip or knee replacements and all scheduled tonsillectomies.

First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon said “all appropriate steps’ would be taken by the board to ensure there is not a repeat of the problem.

One whistleblower claimed NHSGGC was forced to spend £140,000 sending dirty equipment to a private contractor in Manchester to cope with the problem. The board said another sterilisation unit in Inverclyde had been used.

The unit is expected to be fully operational by tomorrow. The board said new dates would be issued to patients affected by cancellations ‘as soon as possible’.

Some patients whose operations were postponed were critical about the apparent lack of information from NHS chiefs and re-scheduling timescales.

A mother told how her eight-year-old was facing a painful Christmas after surgery to remove her tonsils was cancelled, after missing 70% of school through the problem.

Bernadette Jowers, who is from Erskine, has been on the waiting list for the op since February this year and faces waiting until next year for the procedure.

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “The unit re-opened last week and will be fully operational by tomorrow (Thursday) allowing us to carry on with our planned activity.

“In total we had to postpone 1,075 operations and once again we would like to apologise to those patients affected.

“It is our priority to offer new dates as soon as possible to those patients whose operations were postponed.”