An Essex hospital is facing a £100,000 fine over an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that killed two people following cuts in its water treatment programme to save money.
Basildon Hospital, which has a history of Legionella infestation, had ignored warnings from regulators and consultants and reduced its spending on chemical treatment of its water system. Two people died and a further six people were seriously ill leading up to 2010, with three more cases occurring in autumn 2011 resulting in another death. Pascal Bates, prosecuting the case for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), revealed that the hospital cut spending on chemical treatment of the water system in an “inappropriate cost saving measure”. Clare Panniker, chief executive of Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, pledged ‘total’ commitment to reducing the risk. Commenting on the case, Blane Judd, chief executive of the Buildings & Engineering Services Association, said: “This shows the folly and tragic consequences that can result when hospitals and other larger establishments cut back on a regular programme of inspection and maintenance of water holding and water supply systems. “Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia but it is possible to significantly reduce the risk of creating the conditions in which the Legionella bacteria thrive by taking important measures such as a programme of regular inspection and maintenance of susceptible plant and equipment including regular cleaning and disinfection.”
