Visitors veto over 'heroin' find

Managers at the hospital were alerted on Friday

A number of patients at an Edinburgh hospital have been banned from receiving visitors after heroin was allegedly smuggled onto a ward.

The ban means that six patients in the Western General's infectious diseases ward must stay in their rooms during visiting times.

It followed an allegation that a female patient was given heroin by family or friends who visited her on Friday last week.

A spokeswoman for the Lothian Universities Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, confirmed that the action had been taken.

Six of the 31 patients on the ward were asked to remain in their rooms and their visiting was suspended

Hospital spokeswoman

She said: "An allegation was received by a senior member of staff on Friday.

"Six of the 31 patients on the ward were asked to remain in their rooms and their visiting was suspended."

The spokeswoman said the ban was still in place and insisted hospital chiefs had not received any letters of complaint from the patients involved.

One patient told the Edinburgh Evening News that those on the ward were "being punished for somebody else's wrongdoing".

Granddaughter barred

She added: "My family are from the west of Scotland and they came through on Saturday but were not allowed in.

"Even my granddaughter, who is only three, was not allowed in to see me.

"The authorities obviously think that everybody coming into the ward is going to smuggle in heroin."

A spokesman for Unison, which represents healthcare workers, said it was extremely concerning that anybody would try to smuggle illegal drugs into a hospital.