Superbug link to Hospital deaths
Saturday 21st March 2009, 10:00AM GMT.
THREE critically ill patients have died following the outbreak of a new superbug in the General Hospital’s intensive care unit.
Health confirmed yesterday that extremely virulent strains of the pseudomonas bacteria, which are resistant to all but the most powerful antibiotics, were a ‘contributory factor’ in at least two of the deaths.
The germs have never been detected in Jersey before, but similar strains have been detected in the intensive care units of every developed country.
Two of the patients were being treated for pneumonia when the superbug was first detected in the middle of February. The intensive care unit was immediately sealed off and closed to new admissions.
• Full report in today’s Jersey Evening Post
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More mismanagement of our health services.
When will all this stop so we can have confidence in the care at the general hospital?
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The intensive care unit was immediately sealed off and closed to new admissions!!!!
I’m sorry, that’s not good enough.
Two lives have been lost here through a lack of cleanliness within the hospital.
All these cut backs will have a knock on effect. Get rid of the amount of sectary’s we employ with in the hospital group and employ a few more cleaners.
Hand washing will stop the majority of this which our Drs & Nurses fail to comply with.
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What a joke! the states need to take a good hard look at the cleanliness of our hospitals. Some of the ceiling tiles are missing in places and the wards are filthy. I realise it must be hard to clean when there are patients in beds but more must be done or we will lose more lives.
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UK Department of Health Publication (Download PDF) http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_081283
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I thought hospitals were meant to save lives not take lives? Lack of cleaning means germs will breed and cause problems. It is about time the hospital had a major review done. There are too many problems there now. We need a new broom to sweep clean.
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I think we’re being a little quick to judge here, as this bug exists in hospitals in every developed country in the world it must be very virulant and difficult to control.
It’s not just cleaning the hospital that’s an issue, how do you keep a place clean that has a constant influx of visitors who ignore the spirigel alchocol cleansers on entry to wards.
I was in Guys hospital recently and they are red hot on the cleaning issue with wards being cleaned several times a day. They also insist on visitors using the Spirigel before entering the wards.
Whilst there is room for improvement, even if the wards were cleaned every hour it would not prevent someone from bringing this infection into the hospital.
Visitors please take more care, use Hibiscrub and Spirigel where provided and stay away if you have been sick recently.
The hospital regime isn’t perfect ( I’m suffering from a critical illness and hold a season ticket so I should know ) but lets not assume they are entirely at fault.
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If you want to find bug infested hospitals come to the U.K were cost cutting means cleaning budjets have been cut to unsafe leavels !!!
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Keith it’s more than visitors using spirigel and hibiscrub that’s needed.
Problems come from ineffective cleaning, poor governance and management and most importantly poor practice from health care professionals.
The Jersey hospital’s recent record on these is not good. This needs to be looked at before blaming the Jersey public. It is after all a hospital acquired infection.
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There is always room for improvement, but these things do happen, and will happen again I would think.
It seems to be a fact of modern day hospitals. Good that they came forward with the facts.
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Gross Misconduct – I fear that you have completely ignored my point. Lets assume that we have the best preactices in the world with the best cleaning and our hospital is No1 in the world league table.
Someone bringing contamination into the hospital will not be stopped by any of this. Yes it is a hospital acquired infection but it didn’t spontaneously generate there, it was brought in.
Believe me I know there is room for improvement in hospital practices, I’ve waited for hours to see s specialist when given the same 0900 appointment as everyone else?? then having seen him waited another hour for a prescription that can only be made up at the hospital pharmacy only to find it is out of stock.
The point I’m making is that with the best practices in the world you can’t prevent people bringing in infections if they won’t clean their hands.
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Everyone’s a pro on this obviously
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I had a major operation in a Basingstoke hospital last year i was tested for MRSA on my one day to see the consultant and then when i was there for a week i was swabbed 3 times to test for it.
I also did a stint in Jersey Hospital b4 i went to the UK i was in Jersey Hospital for 10 days and was NEVER swabbed for MRSA, in Basingstoke its standard!
So it does make me think about the standards here what is wrong with swabbing the in patients in jersey!
I have watched some of the cleaners in the hospital and its the same cloth to do wipe everything! (not so sure thats the right way)
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Keith, so one person is infected in the unit, how come it spreads to others? I still think the general cleaning policies and health care professionals practices should be looked at.
My understanding is the single most important infection control measure is handwashing, would be interested in an audit of handwashing practice by nurses and doctors in JGH. I think it might make interesting reading….if only it had been done.
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Caz thank you for your insight – I think you’re the only one who has actually commented based on experience! My fiancee’s grandfather was treated in hospital but died because of MRSA… I can’t help but think that it wouldn’t have happened if the cleaners used a different cloth for each room and if patients were tested for MRSA…
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