Council trading standards chiefs across the UK are launching a oneyear long nationwide project this month to identify inaccurate hospital weighing scales they say could put patients’ lives at risk.
The scheme, which will focus especially on oncology and paediatrics departments, follows pilot studies by trading standards staff which found hospital staff using “inaccurate and unsuitable” scales to calculate dosages of medication for patients, including small children.
In one case a four-year-old cancer patient was weighed using ordinary bathroom scales so staff could work out how much radiation she should receive as part of her treatment. The scales wrongly indicated she had gained weight during the day, despite her not having eaten and suffering from suspected dehydration. The discrepancy could have led to her being given a potentially harmful radiation dose.
Other problems uncovered included weighing equipment going missing and hospital staff not having access to the right scales for specific tasks.
