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Campaign targets inadequate hospital weighing scales

12/02/2008

Council officers are to inspect all hospital weighing equipment after a study found hospital staff are using inaccurate and unsuitable scales.

The one-year inspection, run by the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (Lacors), will begin in April this year.

It follows pilot studies by trading standards officers which uncovered worrying use of unsuitable scales to calculate dosages of medication for patients, including small children.

In one case staff used ordinary bathroom scales to weigh a four-year-old cancer patient so they could work out how much radiation should be administered as part of her treatment.

The scales indicated the girl had gained weight during the day despite not having eaten and suffering from suspected dehydration - a discrepancy that could have led to a harmful dose of radiation being given.

Other cases involved staff not having access to the correct scales for specific tasks.

Council trading standards officers will now inspect all hospital weighing equipment and make sure they are accurate, legal and fit for purpose.

Oncology and paediatric wards will be particularly targeted.

Lacors chairman Geoffrey Theobald said the checks will give patients "peace of mind" and will help hospitals "iron out any problems involving the accuracy of their weighing equipment".

"Trading standards officers haven't traditionally visited hospitals, but it was clear from the pilot studies carried out that the accuracy of hospital scales is cause for concern," he added.

"The new scheme will focus on making sure that hospital staff have the information and guidance they need to maintain the highest standards of accuracy.

"It is not about naming and shaming hospitals that are found to have problems, it is about working together to tackle a longstanding problem."