Cheltenham hospital admits failing man who died after using contaminated shower | Gloucestershire
An NHS trust has admitted failing to provide safe care for a man who died after using a dirty shower in hospital while undergoing chemotherapy.
Father-of-two Chris Elliot, 59, died two weeks after being admitted to Cheltenham general hospital in Gloucestershire for treatment of leukemia.
bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa A hearing before a district judge in Cheltenham heard Elliot was found on the shower head in the room he was using for more than a week before he was admitted but no action was taken.
His widow, Victoria Elliot, accused Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation trust of systemic failings during the hearing. He said it was the family’s duty to uncover what happened and criticized the foundation for delaying accepting responsibility.
In a victim personal statement, Victoria Elliot said her husband’s death had left “a chasm” in the family’s lives and told the court: “He was treated with arrogance, incompetence and a disregard for his safety.”
He said his weakened immune system made him a “sitting duck” and added: “Chris had absolutely no chance of survival, being showered day after day in his isolation room with lethal doses of bacteria. Chris’s death was largely the result of the abject failure of care by those charged with his care.”
Victoria Elliot continued: “My grief is torn between Chris’s death and the terrible ordeal of getting to the bottom of how he died. “The impact of Chris’s death on me and my family has been compounded by the fight I have had to fight for the truth.
“I question how an organization whose raison d’etre is to care for patients and their families should use every opportunity to delay accepting responsibility.”
The trust acknowledged that failing to provide safe care and treatment was a criminal offense under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. He was fined £300,000. Outside court, Victoria Elliot said the sum was ridiculous.
James Marsland, from the Care Quality Commission, which brought the case, said: Pseudomonas aeruginosa It was confirmed on August 1, 2022 by a laboratory in the shower head in the side room of the Rendcomb ward, which specializes in the treatment of oncology (cancer) and hematology patients.
Marsland said the testing and sampling of the water was handed over to a company called Gloucestershire Managed Services (GMS), which is owned by the trust.
But he told the court there was “no independent evidence” that GMS had taken any action. He did not report the situation to the ward manager or the infection prevention and control team. Marsland said: “Reporting was necessary, it didn’t happen.” The room and shower head remained in use.
Marsland said the trust’s GMS audit was inadequate and told the court the trust’s water safety group was supposed to meet every three months but had not met for nine months.
Elliot, who worked at Tata Steel, was hospitalized on August 9, 2022. He was assigned a room with a dirty shower head, and he got an infection. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and died on August 23. Marsland said the cause of his death was “most likely” infection.
Paul Greaney KC apologized to the family for his trust. GMS said it would have removed the showerhead from use had it reported it was dirty.
Kevin McNamara, chief executive of the trust, said: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Dr Christopher Elliot and the profound impact it has had on his family. This was a tragedy that should never have happened.”
District judge Nick Wattam said he felt the trust was remorseful and had taken remedial steps following Elliot’s death.
Pseudomonas aeruginosaalso known as P aeruginosaIt is a type of bacteria that can live in moist areas such as faucets, shower heads, face towels and sponges.
Max Wilkinson, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cheltenham, said Elliot’s death was a “horrible case” and the NHS must learn from it.
“I was shocked to read about this case. I know words will not be enough to ease the family’s pain. “It is important that we all recognize that what happened here was absolutely horrifying and must never be allowed to happen again.
“I will be asking some tough questions to the local hospital to see how things have changed since this tragic death and to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
