Superbug hospital may face criminal charges over 331 C difficle deaths
Hospital managers could face criminal prosecution for the worst ever recorded outbreaks of the superbug Clostridium difficile which killed at least 90 patients.
Police have launched an investigation into the infection of more than 1,100 Kent hospital patients, after a report published blamed the spread of the disease on appalling hygiene standards.
The Health and Safety Executive and police officers are reviewing mismanagement by bosses at Kent and Sussex, Pembury and Maidstone hospitals to consider if it constituted a criminal act.
Inadequate staffing levels, dirty wards and too much focus on cost-cutting and government targets contributed to two serious outbreaks of C difficile in as many years at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, an investigation by the Healthcare Commission found.
Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, “It’s a scandal. It’s awful,” he said rejecting the notion that Whitehall targets were responsible for the outbreaks.
“To suggest that in this particular incident, this reflects what’s happening in the NHS across the country is absolutely wrong,” he told the BBC. “There are nurses and clinicians across the country who have dealt with the targets. . . but kept the highest safety standards.”
Rose Gibb, the chief executive of the trust, left her job by mutual agreement with the board. Campaigners today demanded to know how much she was paid after stepping down.
The trust has refused to disclose the size of her settlement. Geoff Martin, of campaign group Health Emergency, said: “I have heard from Maidstone NHS staff this morning that chief executive Rose Gibb is rumoured to have received a massive pay-off from the trust.
“If it’s true, we have a right to know how much taxpayers’ money is involved and it would fuel the scandal even more if it turns out that senior managers have walked away from this carnage with their pockets stuffed with NHS cash.”
The commission found “significant failings” in infection control at three hospitals run by the trust between April 2004 and September last year, including unwashed bedpans, a lack of isolation units, beds being spaced far less than the recommended 3.6 metres apart to stop the spread of infection and nurses telling some patients with diarrhoea to “go in their beds”. Pictures taken as recently as February disclosed continuing hygiene concerns.
The failure to contain and treat infections at all levels contributed to 1,176 patients being infected with the bug at Kent and Sussex Hospital, Pembury Hospital and Maidstone Hospital, Kent, the watchdog said.
A total of 345 patients died while infected with the bacterium between April 2004 and September 2006. Of these 21 died as a direct result of infection, and for 69 patients it was probably the main cause of death, it added.
In addition, C difficile could also be considered a “contributing factor” in as many as 241 of the deaths, although the report said that patients, many of them elderly or frail, may well have died of other causes if they had not acquired the infection.
The trust had previously told the Healthcare Commission there had been “no deaths that were definitely caused by C diff" between April 2004 and March 2006.
The first big outbreak was between October and December 2005 but, despite the number of infected patients quickly doubling to 150, the trust did not identify the outbreak.
The second significant outbreak was between April and September 2006, in which 258 patients were affected, and was recognised as serious by the trust.
But despite these problems, the trust declared itself compliant with national government standards for hygiene and infection in May 2006.
At the time of the outbreaks the trust was carrying out a programme to save £40 million over three years in the face of huge debts. At the end of 2003, the trust had an accumulated deficit of £17.6 million. Last year, it reported a deficit of £4.5 million.
The commission said that there was evidence patients had been moved between several wards, increasing the chance of spreading infection. It said this was partly due to concerns over hitting the Government’s targets on waiting times for treatment in A&E.
Anna Walker, the chief executive of the commission, said that the lack of infection control at the trust had been “unacceptable” but that conditions had improved as a result of monitoring by the commission.
Improvements included increasing the space between beds, appointing a new director of infection prevention and control and implementing a policy on the use of antibiotics which are known to help C difficile thrive.
“What happened to the patients at this trust was a tragedy,” Ms Walker said. “This report fully exposes the reasons for that tragedy, so that the same mistakes are never made again.”
She called for the NHS to treat C difficile as an illness rather than just an added complication.
A spokeswoman for the Health and Safety Executive said that it was working with Kent Police to consider the report.
Among the mistakes:
* Patients were treated on open wards instead of in isolation
* A former children’s ward was being used for adults. It contained an uncleaned shower, one wash basin for 12 beds and beds placed only 30cm (less than a foot) apart
* A shortage of nurses contributed to the spread of infection “because they were too rushed to undertake hand hygiene, empty and clean commodes, clean mattresses and equipment properly” and wear aprons and gloves
* High bed occupancy – over 90 per cent at Maidstone and the Kent and Sussex – led to less time for cleaning
* Staff used alcohol wipes, which are ineffective against C. Diff spores, to clean commodes instead of soap and water
* Old commodes were used despite the trust agreeing to replace them and setting aside £250,000 to do so
From:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article2637166.ece
Health Direct wonders whether the solids are about to hit the air conditioning.
On Jan 12, 2007 Health Direct posted: MRSA superbug claims may surge against NHS
when a flood of MRSA compensation claims could finally be realised as lawyers turn to workplace safety legislation to pursue hospitals.
To date it has been hard to pin the blame on the NHS, as it is never known exactly when a person becomes infected.
But recent successes have prompted a rethink in how lawyers tackle cases, with many making use of laws governing the control of hazardous substances.
Police have launched an investigation into the infection of more than 1,100 Kent hospital patients, after a report published blamed the spread of the disease on appalling hygiene standards.
The Health and Safety Executive and police officers are reviewing mismanagement by bosses at Kent and Sussex, Pembury and Maidstone hospitals to consider if it constituted a criminal act.
Inadequate staffing levels, dirty wards and too much focus on cost-cutting and government targets contributed to two serious outbreaks of C difficile in as many years at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, an investigation by the Healthcare Commission found.
Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, “It’s a scandal. It’s awful,” he said rejecting the notion that Whitehall targets were responsible for the outbreaks.
“To suggest that in this particular incident, this reflects what’s happening in the NHS across the country is absolutely wrong,” he told the BBC. “There are nurses and clinicians across the country who have dealt with the targets. . . but kept the highest safety standards.”
Rose Gibb, the chief executive of the trust, left her job by mutual agreement with the board. Campaigners today demanded to know how much she was paid after stepping down.
The trust has refused to disclose the size of her settlement. Geoff Martin, of campaign group Health Emergency, said: “I have heard from Maidstone NHS staff this morning that chief executive Rose Gibb is rumoured to have received a massive pay-off from the trust.
“If it’s true, we have a right to know how much taxpayers’ money is involved and it would fuel the scandal even more if it turns out that senior managers have walked away from this carnage with their pockets stuffed with NHS cash.”
The commission found “significant failings” in infection control at three hospitals run by the trust between April 2004 and September last year, including unwashed bedpans, a lack of isolation units, beds being spaced far less than the recommended 3.6 metres apart to stop the spread of infection and nurses telling some patients with diarrhoea to “go in their beds”. Pictures taken as recently as February disclosed continuing hygiene concerns.
The failure to contain and treat infections at all levels contributed to 1,176 patients being infected with the bug at Kent and Sussex Hospital, Pembury Hospital and Maidstone Hospital, Kent, the watchdog said.
A total of 345 patients died while infected with the bacterium between April 2004 and September 2006. Of these 21 died as a direct result of infection, and for 69 patients it was probably the main cause of death, it added.
In addition, C difficile could also be considered a “contributing factor” in as many as 241 of the deaths, although the report said that patients, many of them elderly or frail, may well have died of other causes if they had not acquired the infection.
The trust had previously told the Healthcare Commission there had been “no deaths that were definitely caused by C diff" between April 2004 and March 2006.
The first big outbreak was between October and December 2005 but, despite the number of infected patients quickly doubling to 150, the trust did not identify the outbreak.
The second significant outbreak was between April and September 2006, in which 258 patients were affected, and was recognised as serious by the trust.
But despite these problems, the trust declared itself compliant with national government standards for hygiene and infection in May 2006.
At the time of the outbreaks the trust was carrying out a programme to save £40 million over three years in the face of huge debts. At the end of 2003, the trust had an accumulated deficit of £17.6 million. Last year, it reported a deficit of £4.5 million.
The commission said that there was evidence patients had been moved between several wards, increasing the chance of spreading infection. It said this was partly due to concerns over hitting the Government’s targets on waiting times for treatment in A&E.
Anna Walker, the chief executive of the commission, said that the lack of infection control at the trust had been “unacceptable” but that conditions had improved as a result of monitoring by the commission.
Improvements included increasing the space between beds, appointing a new director of infection prevention and control and implementing a policy on the use of antibiotics which are known to help C difficile thrive.
“What happened to the patients at this trust was a tragedy,” Ms Walker said. “This report fully exposes the reasons for that tragedy, so that the same mistakes are never made again.”
She called for the NHS to treat C difficile as an illness rather than just an added complication.
A spokeswoman for the Health and Safety Executive said that it was working with Kent Police to consider the report.
Among the mistakes:
* Patients were treated on open wards instead of in isolation
* A former children’s ward was being used for adults. It contained an uncleaned shower, one wash basin for 12 beds and beds placed only 30cm (less than a foot) apart
* A shortage of nurses contributed to the spread of infection “because they were too rushed to undertake hand hygiene, empty and clean commodes, clean mattresses and equipment properly” and wear aprons and gloves
* High bed occupancy – over 90 per cent at Maidstone and the Kent and Sussex – led to less time for cleaning
* Staff used alcohol wipes, which are ineffective against C. Diff spores, to clean commodes instead of soap and water
* Old commodes were used despite the trust agreeing to replace them and setting aside £250,000 to do so
From:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article2637166.ece
Health Direct wonders whether the solids are about to hit the air conditioning.
On Jan 12, 2007 Health Direct posted: MRSA superbug claims may surge against NHS
when a flood of MRSA compensation claims could finally be realised as lawyers turn to workplace safety legislation to pursue hospitals.
To date it has been hard to pin the blame on the NHS, as it is never known exactly when a person becomes infected.
But recent successes have prompted a rethink in how lawyers tackle cases, with many making use of laws governing the control of hazardous substances.
Labels: C difficile, Clostridium difficile, nhs cutbacks, NHS targets, superbugs
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