MRSA Death Ward Closed 16 Patients Have Superbug

By James Moncur

THE hospital ward where tragic grandad Chuck Bryson caught MRSA has been sealed off after a massive outbreak of the superbug.

No fewer than SIXTEEN of the 24patients in Ward11at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee now have the illness.

The infected patients, many of them frail and elderly, have been separated from those who have not shown traces of MRSA.

And doctors have banned all new admissions to the ward, where patients with blood and circulation problems are treated.

Infection control experts are working to identify the source of the MRSA outbreak and bring it under control.

The non-infected patients in Ward 11 have been moved to a separate area and given their own team of nurses.

Another team of medical staff is caring for those with MRSA. Sources say the infected patients are all carrying the bug, but it has not yet entered their bloodstreams.

Told of the outbreak,Chuck’s widow,Sheila, said yesterday: "This comes as no surprise to me at all.

"When we were there, we saw no sign of hand washing or infection control regulations.

"I feel very sorry for the well people on the ward at the moment. What must they and their relatives be feeling, knowing they are surrounded by infected patients?

"The hospital needs to get its act together before any more people die unnecessarily Dr Gabby Phillips, infection control doctor at Ninewells, said yesterday: "Stopping the spread of infection in busy clinical areas is a daily challenge.

"This is a very unusual situation here in Ward 11.

"And because this is a vulnerable patient group we are dealing with, we felt it was necessary to take the unusual step of limiting admissions to allow us to control the situation.

"I am satisfied that all staff are working together very hard to prevent the further spread of MRSA in this area.

"The infection control team is continuing to monitor the situation very closely."

Ward 11 is split into four private rooms and three sections of 10 beds – two for male and one for female patients. Six of the ward’s 30 beds were empty when it was sealed.

The Daily Record told on Thursday how Chuck, a 68-year-old Bed and Breakfast owner, fell victim to MRSA in Ward 11Chuck was taken to Ninewells after stepping on a drawing pin. He suffered complications which led to the amputation of his toe, and he wasput in Ward 11 because of problems with his circulation.

But according to the family, Chuck’s wound was left uncovered, even though the patient in the next bed was infected with MRSA.

Sheila, 66, said: "We couldn’t believe Chuck was just feet away from this man with his wound lying open. They were in neighbouring beds for more than a month so it’s not surprising Chuck caught MRSA.

"Why wasn’t the other patient isolated from those around him, especially people with open wounds?"

Chuck was admitted to Ninewells in March and allowed to go home to Pitlochry, Perthshire, at the end of May. His family say they didn’t find out about his MRSA until two days after his return home, when a district nurse broke the news to them.

Sheila said: "You can imagine how hard that hit us. We had no idea Chuck had MRSA."

Doctors tried to treat the MRSA with several different courses of antibiotics, but Chuck had to be readmitted to Ninewells in July. Surgeons removed half his right foot.

During a visit to the hospital, Chuck’s daughter Nancy read his medical notes and discovered that his MRSA had been discovered on April 14 – more than a month before his family were told about it. Nancy, a pharmacy technician, said: "I come from aclinical background and what happened to dad was totally unacceptable.

"We knew about the patient with MRSA in the next bed but knew nothing about dad’s infection."

Chuck was sent home from hospital again at the beginning of August.But by then,according to his family,the MRSA had spread through his body.

He died in an isolation room at Perth Royal Infirmary at the end of last month. Chuck’s family have consulted a firm of lawyers who specialise in medical negligence.

Sheila said: "We want answers, and to ensure this never happens to anybody else