BLOODY MESS; EXCLUSIVE Lab that supplies Scots slammed as filthy.

Byline: By MARK AITKEN Political Editor

A BLOOD lab supplying lifesaving products for Scots patients has been slammed as filthy by health inspectors.

Safety watchdogs exposed "major deficiences" at the Bio Products Laboratory in Elstree, Hertfordshire.

The lab won part of the contract to supply Scottish hospitals after a Sunday Mail investigation forced the closure of a Scots centre.

We revealed how staff had been secretly ordered to dump plasma products.

Since then, plasma used in blood products has been bought in from the NHS-run Elstree lab, the biggest in Britain.

But a report by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) highlighted a series of problems there, including dirty work surfaces and equipment.

Cracked paint and debris which could cause contamination were also found in sterile areas.

Clinical negligence lawyer Laurence Vick said: "The vast majority of plasma products in the UK are supplied by this laboratory.

"This will be worrying for people such as haemophilic sufferers who are dependant on plasma products."

The inspectors discovered seven "major deficiencies" and 13 "other deficiencies". An MHRA spokeswoman said: "The inspectors found that the site did not meet standards of accepted good practice.

"There was no evidence found that the product quality had been breached. However, corrective action of these site facilities and certain manufacturing methods were required. The company's chief executive was informed and a written commitment has been made from him to rectify the problems."

National Services Scotland, the blood service's governing body, said the plasma products it buys were unaffected.

A spokeswoman said: "The products remain licensed and have not been recalled or withdrawn. We are not aware of any increase in adverse events being reported."

Last February the Sunday Mail revealed that staff at the Protein Fractionation Centre, Edinburgh, were secretly ordered to dump plasma products worth millions of pounds because of management failures. The centre was shut down following our investigation.

Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Margaret Curran said: "It is the responsibility of Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon to ensure these matters are addressed.

"The minister must take swift action to ensure that there is no repetition of these critical comments."

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Scandal: Elstree plasma lab, left, under fire after Mail probe shuts this plant, above, in Edinburgh