Hospitals, surgeries and nursing homes have been told to check the scales that they use to weigh patients, because of fears that defective ones could cause errors in medication (David Rose writes).

The Government has issued a warning that patients could be given the wrong doses of drugs if their weight is calculated inaccurately.

In February it emerged that NHS staff had used defective bathroom scales to weigh a four-year-old cancer patient to calculate her radiation dosage.

In her case, the error was spotted in time. But trading standards officers began a national medical weighing project last month after many hospital scales were found to be inaccurate. They also found that staff did not have access to the right scales for specific tasks.

Officers will check that all weighing equipment is accurate and legal, focusing particularly on cancer and children’s departments. They will also ensure that staff are properly trained. The Department of Health said that all scales used in healthcare settings must be checked by the middle of next month.

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