Compensation for Clostridium Difficile infection
Clostridium Difficile infection at hospital
We act for the family of an 84 year old man who died after contracting the clostridium difficile infection at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 2005. Our client had undergone a successful operation at another hospital and was transferred to Stoke Mandeville for rehabilitation. Sadly, our client then became infected with clostridium difficile and he died shortly afterwards. The hospital have accepted that his death was probably related to clostridium difficile.
At the time of our client’s death, cases of clostridium difficile at Stoke Mandeville Hospital were particularly high. This was the second serious outbreak of clostridium difficile at the hospital. The situation was so severe that the outbreak was considered by the Healthcare Commission. They have since published a damning report into the way in which the hospital dealt with the infection. During the second ourbreak (between October 2004 and June 2005), there were 160 patients with clostridium difficile infection and a further 19 deaths definitely or probably due to the infection. 17 of these patients almost certainly acquired the infection in the hospital.
The report concluded that after the first outbreak of clostridium difficile, it took nearly a year for the hospital to launch a policy for isolating clostridium difficile infections. Further, the movement of patients within the hospital had already been identified as a contributor to the spread of infection but no steps were taken to improve this. A shortage of nurses also contributed to the spread of infection as shortcuts in hygiene were taken. The reports states “there was a consensus among experts in the control of infection (both externally and internally) that the second outbreak should have been brought under control sooner”. The report goes on to state “we believe that this constituted a significant failing”.
Sarah Rowland, the Associate Solicitor handling the case says “It is unacceptable that the hospital did not learn lessons from the first clostridium difficile infection, and put in place proper measures to prevent another outbreak. Had appropriate steps been taken, many lives would have been saved”.
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