More than £420,000 worth of items have been stolen from NHS Tayside hospitals in the past five years — including wheelchairs, bins and 1,500 baby gowns.
The Tele can today reveal that the health service has seen a whopping 1,562 examples of stolen items since 2010, which were worth a total of £421,505.69.
The extensive list of items, which have been stolen include a satellite navigation system, two wheelchairs, and even 11 sanitary bins that were taken from female toilets.
Another nine sanitary bins, with their location unspecified, were also taken during the last five years.
Even paper embossed with NHS headings was stolen while a tap was also taken from an NHS Tayside hospital.
Plumbing works seem to be popular, with four shower heads and shower hoses stolen.
A large number of electrical goods have also been stolen from hospitals in the last five years, including three laptops, a projector, a tablet computer, a satellite navigation system, a wireless phone and a headset for a wireless phone.
The most expensive thefts have come in the shape of metal roof materials — costing NHS Tayside £404,467.
This includes one theft, in the 2013/14 period, where metal valued at £315,575 was stolen.
Health Secretary Shona Robison slammed the culprits, who she said were stealing from some of the “most vulnerable people in our society”.
She said: “We’re clear that boards must have the right security policies, procedures and systems in place to minimise thefts as much as possible.
“We’ve provided comprehensive security guidance to NHS boards, including Tayside, to ensure a safe and secure environment for patients, staff, personal property, equipment and data.”
In 2014/15, cash sums totalling £1,805 were taken from NHS Tayside premises, including £775 in accommodation income, £1,000 in catering income and £30 worth of patients’ own funds.
Along with items that have been stolen from NHS Tayside, a significant number of articles have been declared lost.
A total of 16 USB sticks have been lost in the last five years, valued at between £22.74 and £41.36 each.
Two instances of a fake £5 note being paid into NHS Tayside funds were also recorded in the last five years and on five occasions other cash sums belonging to petty cash, totalling £161.92, were lost.
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said that the issue of items being stolen from their premises is one that can impact the care they provide to the community.
She said: “We take thefts very seriously as any theft from NHS Tayside can potentially have an impact on frontline healthcare services. NHS Tayside regularly promotes the message that ‘security is everyone’s responsibility’ and both staff and members of the public can all play their part in reducing theft.”
A Police Scotland spokesman said that officers work closely with NHS Tayside to improve security at all of their sites.
They added patients receive leaflets about the security of their property and a police officer is based at Ninewells Hospital.
The spokesman said: “We are committed to tackling thefts from any and all establishments throughout the Tayside region.
“As a result of the hard work of local officers, crimes of dishonesty and housebreakings have fallen, with detections for such crimes being on the rise.
“Our officers will continue to work with local establishments and our partners to improve security, prevent further thefts in the area and apprehend the minority of individuals whose actions continue to be a detriment to society.”