Council trading standards chiefs are launching a nationwide project to identify inaccurate hospital weighing scales that could be putting patients' lives at risk. The new scheme follows a series of pilot studies by trading standards officers which found hospital staff using inaccurate and unsuitable scales to calculate dosages of medication for patients, including small children.
Other problems uncovered by officers included weighing equipment going missing and hospital staff not having access to the correct scales for specific tasks. As a result of these pilot studies LACORS, the national coordinating body for council trading standards services, has set up the National Medical Weighing Project which will run for one year starting in April 2008. Council trading standards officers across the UK will work with their local NHS Trusts to inspect all hospital weighing equipment and make sure they are accurate, legal and fit for purpose. Particular target areas will be oncology and paediatrics departments.
Cllr Geoffrey Theobald OBE, Chairman of LACORS, said: "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. 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."
