A health board has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on security at a derelict hospital where confidential patient information was discovered by a member of the public, it has emerged.
NHS Lanarkshire has spent GBP 850,789 on security at Law Hospital near Carluke in Lanarkshire since the facility closed in 2001.
X-rays and other paperwork marked with patients’ details were found at the site last month, prompting the board to launch an investigation.
According to BBC Scotland, the documents came to light when amateur photographer Gary Whittle gained access to the site from a side entrance and subsequently sent shots of the hospital to the news service’s website.
An NHS Lanarkshire spokesman said: “NHS Lanarkshire has spent GBP 850,789 on security at Law Hospital since 2001. The cost has risen annually due to statutory increases, such as the minimum wage and inflation, and the increased security provision at the site.”
He added that the board was obliged, under health and safety legislation, to ensure the site is secure.
Law Hospital was built in 1939 as an emergency medical service hospital. Plans were announced earlier this year to build 500 homes on the derelict site in a GBP 100 million development.
Copyright PA Business 2008
