Findings Of Hospital Superbug 'Harrowing'

The results of a public inquiry into an outbreak of a hospital superbug, Clostridium Difficile, in Northern Trust hospitals were revealed today.

It is believed 31 people died as a result of the outbreak in the trust area between June 2007 and August 2008.

The investigation was ordered by Health Minister Michael McGimpsey and chaired by Dame Deirdre Hine and was tasked to examine the experiences of those directly affected by the outbreak, at an estimated cost of £2m.

The inquiry heard from families whose loved ones had died after contracting the hospital superbug last October.

While the outbreak has been linked to 31 deaths, there has been no official acknowledgment of the dozens of civil claims made by families.

Senior hospital staff, including experts in the fields of infectious disease also provided evidence and cleaning staff described the challenges they faced on a daily basis.

The panel also heard that senior management knew about the outbreak five months before it was officially declared.

Speaking in the Assembly the Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said: "I want to apologise to all those affected by this outbreak and offer my sincere sympathies to those families who lost loved ones. There is no doubt that this 027 strain of C. difficile was extremely virulent and caused a great deal of pain and distress to all those affected."

Health Correspondent for BBC Northern Ireland, Marie Louise Connolly, said some of the testimonies from families during the inquiry had been "harrowing."

She commented: "Families said hospital staff were over-stretched, there were complaints of unwashed linen, floors and toilets, which didn't help the superbug to be contained in one area. Staff in their defence said they were working to their limits. Managing the infection was initially under-resourced, we even heard there weren't enough mops to go around.

"Staff were working long shifts and told the inquiry they were angry and saddened by the public perception that the hospitals were dirty when, in fact, the strength of the bug was so strong and easily spread that at times it was an impossible task."

(JG/GK)