Witnesses slam the 'lack of information' over C diff outbreak

Speaking at the ongoing public inquiry into the outbreak of the C difficle superbug in Northern Trust hospitals, the two witnesses - both from the Carrick area - told of the events leading up to their loved one’s death.

The names of witnesses and patients are disclosed at the inquiry in Antrim Civic Centre, but given the very personal nature of some of the evidence, the Carrick Times has decided it would not be appropriate to identify those involved.

One witness told the inquiry that his 65-year-old mother, who was diagnosed with C diff at the time of the outbreak, had been “denied the care she should have received”.

The patient - who suffered from a range of medical conditions including diabetes, angina and urinary tract infection - died in Whiteabbey Hospital in November 2008 after being transferred from Antrim Area Hospital.

And the witness said that while staff in the two hospitals had been “very pleasant and attentive” to his mother during her stay, he claimed that both hospitals were understaffed.

He added: “The nurses were all very caring and I will always remember that one of them shed a tear with me after my mother died. They always did their best for my mother, but perhaps there was not enough staff on duty.”

He was not happy with the “lack of communication” about the C Diff infection and would have liked to have known more about her mother’s health problems. “I was never given any leaflets or other information by the hospital about C difficle. I would also have liked to have been advised about what precautions the family should take because of the infection.”

The witness also had some concerns about the hygiene in both hospitals and said he would have expected “much more intensive cleaning” due to the fact that C difficle was present. The witness cited overflowing bins, empty gel dispensers, beds not being properly cleaned, drops of blood on the floor and curtains, and a general level of untidiness in both hospitals. He added: “I also witnessed patients wandering from ward to ward. I always felt this was unhygienic, especially when hospitals are struggling to control infections.”

Two causes of death were listed on the patient’s death certificate - congestive cardiac failure and aschaemic heart disease. However, the witness believed that C diff played a part in his mother’s death and felt that it should have been included as a cause of death.

Another witness giving evidence at the inquiry told how his 89-year-old mother had died in Tamlaght Nursing Home, Carrick, in January 2008. The patient had been diagnosed with C difficle while an inpatient at Antrim Area Hospital in late 2007.

Again, this witness felt he was not given enough information about the infection by hospital staff. “I was simply told that my mother had contracted the infection and I accepted that. No member of staff specifically briefed me on C difficle, but my view at the time was that I did not need to burden them by asking questions when my sister (who was a nurse) was able to assist me. I suggest it would be to everyone’s advantage if an information sheet was provided which set out succinctly the precautions to take if a patient had C difficle.”

But he also felt that hospital visitors had a responsibility of their own when it came to preventing the spread of infection. “My view is that if there are visible notices telling you to wash your hands, it is the responsibility of visitors to do that and not a nurse’s job to remind you,” he said.

While the witness described the general cleanliness of the hospital as “fine”, he had some concerns about certain aspects of hygiene. He added: “Apparently, there were specific laundry bags to use when dealing with a C diificle patient’s linen and these bags can be put directly into the washing machine. I had not been told about these.”

Like the previous witness, he also praised the hospital staff and described them as “pleasant and approachable”. He added: “I was generally content with the attitude of staff and consider they did their best in all the circumstances given that there were a lot of ill people to treat.”

However, he had mixed impressions about the various wards his mother stayed in, describing the A1 ward as “pristine” and “spacious”, the A3 ward as “cramped”, and one of the B wards as “shabby”.

And while C diff was not listed on this patient’s death certificate, the witness said he was “not perturbed” by this.

Dame Deirdre Hine chairs the public inquiry, which aims to establish how many deaths occurred in Northern Health and Social Care Trust hospitals during the outbreak, for which C difficile was the underlying cause of death, or was a condition contributing to death; and to examine and report on the experiences of patients and others who were affected directly by the outbreak, and to make recommendations accordingly.”

The panel is also hearing from hospital medical and ancillary staff, some of whom have already testified about personnel and resources shortages.