Findings from an independent report showed the hospital had been operating above recommended safe occupancy rates, toppling maximum capacity in four of the 15 months.

That resulted in the borrowing and lending of beds between specialist wards according to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC).

The news comes after an independent analysis of bed occupancy rates in Scottish hospitals that showed many of Scotland’s hospitals to be overcrowded, with wards occupied over a recommended operating rate of 85 per cent.

GGC said a significant pressure on the acute bed availability at the Vale was the issue of “bed blocking” due to delayed discharges. They also said the winter period was a contributing factor to the level of admissions.

A spokeswoman for GGC said: “We provided figures for the fixed number of beds for each speciality within our hospitals and the fixed number of funded additional beds.

“However, we also have the ability within our flexible bed modelling to open additional temporary beds on a day-to-day basis.

“We recognise that at certain times during the year – such as the winter period – our hospitals can experience an increased demand for beds.” Data from the investigation showed a lack of available medical beds in many of Scotland’s hospitals, meaning many patients had to be moved — or ‘boarded’ — to other wards in order to cope.

GGC says it has a structured management programme and contingency efforts at their disposal to deal with overcrowding.

The spokeswoman added: “We plan for this by ensuring that we have a flexible bed management model in place which allows us to open extra beds during periods of high demand. We are also able to make use of other hospitals throughout NHSGGC at times of high demand in one particular hospital.

Previous research showed bed occupancy rates of over 85 per cent increased the risk of harm to patients, however the VoL exceeded these levels on a regular basis between January 2013 and March 2014.

During that time the hospital was operating above maximum capacity on four occasions, operating at 109.43 per cent in January of this year. On other occasions the hospital was operating at 105.71 per cent, 103.57 per cent and 101.32 per cent capacity.

The hospital last operated under the 85 per cent guideline in August last year when occupancy levels were 77.34 per cent, Before that it had been June and May 2013.

The GGC spokeswoman added: “We continue to work with our local authority partners to minimise this issue.” In such cases a patient who is categorised under medical speciality could be boarded within a surgical speciality ward due to an increased demand in speciality beds.

Patients would still be recorded as a medical speciality and would therefore appear within the bed days used by this speciality.

Findings from the independent report showed rates as high as 133 per cent in some hospitals with beds being borrowed from other wards.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) said future developments, like the impending opening of the brand new South Glasgow hospital on the site of the Southern General, would ease such problems.

The spokeswoman told the Reporter: “As part of our bed modelling for the future will see that, when the new South Glasgow hospital opens in 2015, there will be an increase in the medical bed numbers across GGC.

“This will be balanced by a reduction in beds for other specialities where the increase in day surgery rates, community alternatives to admissions to hospital and an ongoing reduction in the length of acute inpatient hospital stay mean that we will have less demand for planned inpatient beds.” ONE specialist doctor has previously argued the ‘safe’ maximum level hospital wards should operate at is 85 per cent.

Former president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Dr Neil Dewhurst, said this was the optimum level to treat patients.

However, a peer, former NHS information analyst, Neil Pettinger, said the matter was not quite as black and white.

Mr Pettinger agreed higher occupancy rates generally led to boarding, with high occupancy rates and boarding leading to longer stays for patients. He said this would also result in more readmissions.

However, he warned the 85 per cent figure should be treated with caution, arguing that hospitals should size each individual component of the system, assessing each hospital and each ward individually, He believes the 85 per cent recommendation does not apply equally to wards due to differing capacities, the number of speciality wards, and different levels of demand.

Mr Pettinger added a hospital with an occupancy rate of over 90 per cent could still operate efficiently in theory.

A SHERIFF has fined a man who ignored special bail conditions preventing him from contacting his former girlfriend in Dumbarton.

John McTaggart, 35, had been made subject to the conditions in June this year when he was ordered to stay away from the woman who lives in Napier Crescent.

However, on August 8 the woman contacted the police and informed them that McTaggart had been at the address.

Fiscal depute Claire Wallace outlined the circumstances of the incident at Dumbarton Sheriff Court, said: “On August 8 the accused and the complainer went to a local pub in Dumbarton with three other friends. They later returned to her flat and continued to drink alcohol.” The court was then told that the drinking went on into the early hours of the next morning but at around 3.20am the woman became irritated by McTaggart and he was asked to leave the flat.

The fiscal depute continued: “He left but in the common close area he began banging on the door and making lots of noise.” The police were contacted and at around 4.40am they traced McTaggart at Dumbarton rail station. He was detained and taken to Clydebank police office.

McTaggart’s solicitor Steven Wight said: “His difficulty is that he is still in love with her. She contacted him via social media and other means and he went to meet her. He realises he shouldn’t have done that.

“My understanding is there was an incident involving spilled drink.” Fining McTaggart £150, Sheriff Colin McKay said: “The bail conditions must have been explained to you, you just chose to ignore them. I’m afraid that what happens in these circumstances is that you put yourself at risk of being put in prison. It is just stupid.”