Five elderly patients have died in an outbreak of Clostridium difficile at a Scottish hospital, prompting accusations from opposition politicians that lessons have not been learnt from previous cases of the infection.
A ward at Dundee’s Ninewells Hospital has been closed following the deaths. Eight patients on Ward 31, a medicine for the elderly unit, contracted the infection, and seven of these had the particularly virulent 027 strain of the bacterium.
Of the eight, two patients died as a direct result of the bug, while it contributed to the deaths of three others. None of the patients has been named.
The news emerged as NHS Tayside, the health board responsible for the hospital, prepared for an inspection from the new Healthcare Environment Inspectorate, an independent body set up by the Scottish government. The study will focus on the affected ward.
Last year, an outbreak of C. difficle at the Vale of Leven Hospital, Alexandria, struck down 55 patients and killed 18. An inquiry into the deaths, chaired by Lord Maclean, is to take place but opposition politicians said yesterday that this should be widened to look at cases across the country.
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They claimed the Dundee deaths showed that “lessons have not been learnt” from the previous tragedy.
However, Nicola Sturgeon, the Health Secretary, said “no one should doubt” the SNP government’s commitment to tackling hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). She said she was fully aware of the situation in Dundee and was receiving regular updates.
“My thoughts are, first and foremost, with the families of all those affected and I would like to reassure them that everything possible is being done — both to bring the current outbreak to a close and to ensure that lessons are learned,” she said.
The Scottish government was notified of the outbreak by NHS Tayside on October 21, two days after it was declared. Outbreaks are triggered when three cases are detected within 30 days and regulations state that the government should be informed.
The ward was closed on October 19 but between then and November 6, five patients died. The board also looked back through its records of infections and found another case in September, meaning the outbreak is treated as spanning 10 weeks.
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Andrew Russell, medical director of NHS Tayside, justified the board’s decision to make the outbreak public only yesterday. He said: “Our main priority throughout this situation was to deal with this outbreak and make sure all appropriate action was taken as quickly as possible.
“It would have been insensitive to discuss this publicly while the outbreak was ongoing and these patients were very unwell. However, staff on the ward have been in contact with those families involved throughout this period.”
He added that he was confident that the outbreak had been detected early, which meant that staff knew they were dealing with the 027 strain from the outset. Gabby Phillips, the lead infection control doctor for Ninewells, said the ward had been closed to new admissions as a precaution and to allow the infection to be managed.
“There have been no new cases identified in the ward for 10 days,” she added.
“I am confident that all appropriate procedures to deal with this infection were put in place immediately. Since the beginning of this outbreak we have sought external advice regarding our policies and procedures and we are reassured that our surveillance systems are robust.”
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Ms Sturgeon said Health Protection Scotland was standing by to provide expert advice and the team from the Healthcare Environment Inspectorate would focus on the affected ward.
Last night, however, opposition politicians claimed the Dundee outbreak showed that too little was being done.
Jackie Baillie, Labour’s health spokeswoman, said: “Behind every recorded death is a personal tragedy but these are particularly tragic because deaths from C. difficile are avoidable. What we are seeing is the cost of Nicola Sturgeon’s complacency and failure to learn lessons from the Vale of Leven.
“Every family has the right to expect that when their loved ones go into hospital they will be treated in clean and safe conditions. This should be the health secretary’s single most important priority.”
Ross Finnie, health spokesman for the Lib Dems, said: “We have consistently argued that the C. difficile inquiry must cover the whole of Scotland.”