Launceston Hospital closes following discovery of Legionella bacteria
A HOSPITAL near Plymouth will be closed for four weeks following the discovery of Legionella bacteria.
The bacteria was found in two places at Launceston General Hospital during routine water quality surveillance.
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There have been no reports of illnesses and bosses say there was only a "minimal risk" to patients and staff.
But more than £100,000 will be spent on plumbing and heating maintenance while the hospital is closed.
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Highly-concentrated chlorine must also be flushed through the whole water system as part of a "robust disinfection" at the site.
The hospital's minor injuries unit closed at 5pm yesterday and patients told to go to Liskeard or Stratton Community Hospitals instead.
There were ten inpatients at Launceston when the Legionella was found. Six have been transferred to alternative community hospitals and four elsewhere.
Carol Williams, director of nursing for the Primary Care Trust, said the hospital would reopen when remedial work was finished and "it is safe to do so."
2 Comments
by pauledwardjon
Thursday, February 21 2013, 4:51PM
“Very interesting, Hyper Chlorination is not in my opinion a good option. Chlorine Dioxide would provide a more effective solution and a degree of residual activity that Chlorine will not, especially as it appears the system may be suffering from a high level of bio fouling and / or numerous dead-legs. Chlorine Dioxide or Silver Chlorine compounds are more effective.
What was in place in terms of a risk assessment and how well was it implemented and managed? To close a hospital is something of an unusual event and a shock dosing and flushing regime coupled with point of use filters and extended periods of pasteurisation may have precluded the need for closure. I am interested in what level of counts had been received in terms of cfu/l and the Serogrouping. it would seem from the amount of information I have read and the level of intended expenditure that the Pre and Post flush sampling has identified systemic contamination at a level felt untreatable by normal actions one would ake, I shall be extremely interested in future findings..................”
by Waltersmith
Tuesday, February 19 2013, 8:06AM
“That's a blessing as the CIC running the place can't get any nurses!”