From: Mr. Pilling (Chairman)
Save Bridlington Hospital Campaign Action Group
Keeping you up-to-date....we are told it will cost in excess of £100,000 to complete repairs etc to the faulty hot water system...Scarbobough Hospital is £28m+ in the RED...they are to finish 600 staff and close wards.
Killer Disease Scarborough Hospital Alert (2) Wards Closed!
A POTENTIALLY lethal bacteria , which can develop into Legion- naire's disease, has been found in water at Scarborough Hospital including on the children's ward. Health chiefs immediately imposed precautionary measures to ensure patients' safety was maintained.
Low levels of the bacteria were found during routine tests on water supplies to the Haldane and Duke of Kent wards – two old-style wards due for refurbishment.
Preliminary results revealed traces of Legionella pneumophila – a potentially fatal form of pneumonia which can affect anyone but primarily those who are susceptible through age, illness or because their immune system does not work.
Bosses described the risk to patients as low but have still imposed special control measures to further minimise any risk while more tests are carried out.
No susceptible patients will be admitted to either of the wards affected and children with cystic fibrosis will not be allowed on to the Duke of Kent ward.
Bottled water is being provided for patients to drink but this is a safety measure in case choking causes water to be inhaled rather than swallowed. Legionella cannot cause infection by being swallowed.
The bacteria live naturally in environmental water sources and only pose a risk to susceptible humans if they enter air conditioning or water systems and the bacteria is then inhaled. In those who are susceptible, inhalation of legionella pneumophila can sometimes lead to Legionnaire's disease. There have only been isolated cases in the UK.
Ian Holland, medical director at the health trust, said: "We are making sure that we take all the appropriate measures to maintain patient safety. We are not admitting patients with compromised immune systems, who may be more susceptible to infection, as a precautionary measure, and filters will be used on water outlets to further reduce any risk.
"It is extremely rare for children to become infected with legionella but we want to take every possible precaution."
Dr Louise Coole, director of North Yorkshire Health Protection Agency Unit, added that she was confident the trust had taken all the necessary precautionary steps to avoid any risk to patients while the problem was being resolved.
The discovery came as the latest figures for hospital performance on combating MRSA and clostridium difficile were released. They reveal that, while the national average for MRSA cases per 10,000 bed days is 1.59, Scarborough Hospital is only 1.05 bed days.
However, there has been a rise in the number of people aged over 65 who have tested positive for clostridium difficile. In the period January to March 2006 there were 23 reported cases compared to 34 cases during the same period this year.
WARD TRANSFERS AT SCARBOROUGH HOSPITAL
Routine quality tests performed on two of the older wards at Scarborough Hospital have shown the presence of Legionella pneumophila in the water supplies to Haldane and Duke of Kent wards.
Precautionary measures were put in place immediately to minimise the risk to vulnerable patients, and the decision has now been taken to vacate the wards so that the full extent of the necessary remedial work can be assessed. Haldane Ward has already been closed, with patients admitted to beds in other medical wards across the Trust.. Additional beds have been opened on Oak Ward to increase capacity. Duke of Kent Ward will temporarily transfer to what is currently the Stroke Unit and, whilst this arrangement is in place, stroke rehabilitation services will be delivered from Johnson Ward in Bridlington, which already cares for stroke patients.
Said the Trust's Medical Director Dr Ian Holland: “As soon as the problem was identified we immediately took precautions, such as ceasing admission of patients with weakened immune systems, who are less able to fight infection. We have now been advised that, to fully resolve the problem with the water supply, we will need to re-plumb the affected areas. This is a significant task which will take at least several weeks, and cannot be undertaken whilst we have patients on the wards. We are moving patients so that a detailed survey can be undertaken, and we can determine how best we can remedy this situation.”
Staff on Duke of Kent will transfer with the ward, whilst those from Haldane have been moved to other wards and departments. Some staff on the Stroke Unit will supplement the service from Bridlington, whilst others will be redeployed within the Trust. Support is being provided to the staff affected by this situation.
ends
Notes to editors:
Haldane Ward is a 21 bedded ward for female medical patients Duke of Kent is a children's ward with 23 beds/cots It is not uncommon to find legionella in domestic water supplies. Legionella bacteria live naturally in environmental water sources, and only pose a risk to susceptible humans if they get into air conditioning or water systems and the bacteria are then inhaled. In those who are susceptible, inhalation of legionella pneumophila can sometimes lead to Legionnaires' disease. The majority of such cases in the UK are sporadic: that is, isolated cases. It is extremely rare for children to become infected. Until the transfers are complete, bottled water is being provided for patients to drink, but this is a safety measure in case choking causes water to be inhaled rather than swallowed. Legionella cannot cause infection by being swallowed. There is no suggestion of any transmission to patients in Scarborough Hospital.
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