Hospital closes wards after superbug deaths

A SCOTTISH health board was accused last night of covering up an outbreak of a potentially fatal hospital superbug that has been linked to the deaths of two patients.

A total of 14 patients at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin, Moray, have been diagnosed as suffering from Clostridium difficile since the beginning of April.

One frail elderly patient died at the hospital last month as a direct result of contracting the infection and C diff has been listed as a contributory cause in the death of another patient who also died in April.

However, it was only yesterday, after hospital authorities decided to impose a ban on the admission of new patients to two wards at Dr Gray's, that details of the outbreak emerged.

NHS Grampian released a statement shortly before noon in which it revealed infection-control measures had been imposed at the hospital because an elderly patient had died and six others were suffering from C diff infection.

But it later admitted another patient had also died at Dr Gray's in April, after health secretary Nicola Sturgeon issued a statement saying there had been "two confirmed deaths" where C diff had been documented on the death certificate.

Jackie Baillie, the Labour MSP for Dumbarton and a leading campaigner on hospital-acquired infections, accused NHS Grampian of a cover-up. She said: "It is completely unacceptable for a Scottish health board to hide the full facts about an outbreak of C difficile. The fact two patients have died is deeply concerning. Their apparent failure to disclose it is unforgivable."

She went on: "Nicola Sturgeon must explain what has gone wrong and why NHS Grampian did not put all the information in the public domain. It is her job to ensure that guidelines are properly followed and the system is fully transparent."

NHS Grampian initially said Dr Gray's ward closures followed a "higher than usual" increase in the number of patients suffering from gastrointestinal illness.

A spokeswoman for the authority said: "Regrettably, a frail, elderly patient with C diff and other acute illnesses has died. An outbreak control team has been set up as part of the infection-control response."

But after being contacted by The Scotsman, John Millar, a spokesman for NHS Grampian, confirmed there had been two deaths linked to C diff since the beginning of April. He said: "We talk about one death in the statement. That is the only patient who died with C diff as the main cause of death. Another patient also died for another reason, and C Diff was one of a number of contributory factors."

He explained both patients died last month and that the first signs of a potential outbreak had surfaced in mid to late April.

"It was gradual process but all the standard infection control measures were put in place. The patients were all being treated as normal, but it is now clear that in these two wards in particular, we are going to have to stop new admissions. Clearly, there comes a point where it is a matter of public interest and we need to say we are doing this."

Mr Millar denied the "cover-up" claims.

"All the patients were involved and we fully briefed the hospital staff," he said. "But having taken the decision not to admit patients to these two wards, we feel at this point it's a matter of public interest."

Only last month, NHS Orkney was condemned by Ms Sturgeon after it emerged the authority took nearly a month to inform the Scottish Government about a major outbreak of the superbug at Kirkwall's Balfour Hospital in which two people died and a further 15 fell ill.

The bug was also linked to the deaths of 18 patients at the Vale of Leven Hospital in Dunbartonshire in 2008, and last month Ms Sturgeon ordered a public inquiry into those deaths.

Rhoda Grant, a Labour MSP for the Highlands, called for that inquiry to be extended to cover the whole of Scotland.

"It is clear that if we are to beat hospital superbugs, the public inquiry ordered by the Scottish Government must have a broad enough remit to consider the whole of Scotland," she said.

There are still six patients at Dr Gray's being treated for C diff.

Ms Sturgeon said: "I am fully aware of the outbreak at Dr Gray's in Elgin just now. I am getting daily reports on that."

The ban on admissions affects wards 7 and 9, which have a total of 37 patients.

Outbreak of rare disease linked to E coli

HEALTH Protection Scotland say four cases of a rare condition linked to E coli O157 have been reported in the three-week period from 17 April to 7 May.

As well as the cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), which causes kidney failure, ten other cases of E coli O157 had emerged during the same period. Officials said this was more than they would expect for a three-week period, but overall cases of E coli were so far lower this year than in 2008.

Between 25 and 30 cases of HUS are reported in Scotland each year. Not all are linked to E coli O157.

Meanwhile, a new Scottish study revealed a virulent strain of E coli could be linked to the second-biggest cancer killer in the UK. Scientists found a "strong" suggestion that the bacteria is able to hamper the body's fight against bowel cancer.

They now hope that the findings from their pilot study will lead to more research into the causes of the disease.

A team of scientists from the University of Edinburgh studied colon cells in the laboratory which had been infected with a strain of the bacteria known as enteropathogenic E coli (EPEC).

They found that the bacteria significantly reduced the levels of two key proteins needed to repair damage to DNA.

Lyndsay Moss