A FORMER nurse from Inverclyde who developed an asbestos-related lung condition after working at a Greenock hospital has received a payout of almost £12,000 from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. 

Lesley Roberts, 58, took legal action against the health board after her time working at the former Ravenscraig Hospital. 

Ms Roberts trained at the hospital from 1986 to 1988, and then worked there between 2003 and 2017. 

In 2020, she developed breathing difficulties and a scan showed a scar on her right lung which medics said was due to asbestos exposure. 

The former nurse has now been paid £11,750 on a summary basis, which means she can go back to the organisation and re-submit a claim if her condition deteriorates. 

Ms Roberts said staff were forced to work in 'ridiculously unsafe' conditions. 

She added: "We had contaminated water coming through the taps and faeces coming back through the gaps within toilet floors. 

"With asbestos and other deadly contaminants present throughout the site, we were always at risk of injury and death.

"It is unthinkable that we were allowed to remain on a site that was covered in asbestos which was not protected or contained, and therefore patients, staff and visitors have been put at risk."

Ms Roberts said staff became concerned about conditions at the hospital in 2003. 

She added: "As the onsite Unite union rep, it was my duty to represent the interests of my members in relation to health and safety. 

"As a nurse it was a legal duty of care to ensure that patients were cared for and not put at risk.

"Despite this we worked in appalling conditions.

"There must have been broken pipes everywhere because faecal matter would come back up via the floors."

Ms Roberts says staff were not encouraged to speak about about their concerns. 

She added: "We were faced with asbestos being exposed and given that we knew it was within the ceilings we were faced with ceilings that collapsed when it rained. 

"We knew how at risk we were but were discouraged to speak out or raise any issue and we were warned of the consequences if we did. 

"The environment was as toxic as the land that we worked on. 

"We were unaware of the real dangers which were beneath us and housed in the ground."

The sprawling 83-acre Ravenscraig estate was eventually found to have 'multiple exceedances' of dangerous and cancer-causing pollutants. 

Ms Roberts said she hopes her case will 'open the floodgates' for people with similar claims. 

She added: "People who worked in the hospital at the same time as me may be wondering where they got pleural scarring, asbestosis, or mesothelioma.

"I would absolutely encourage other people who have been suffering to make a claim."

NHS GGC says it does not comment on individual claims.