Children’s cancer ward is infected again

A CHILDREN’S cancer ward has been closed for investigation after patients were infected with bacteria in a second outbreak to hit the unit.

Young patients have been temporarily moved after bugs were found at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow despite a deep clean.

The problems affecting the water supply in wards 2A and 2B have been on-going since the beginning of the year.

Last night, parents hit out at the revelation, saying their children’s cancer treatment was being delayed as a result.

Earlier this year three children became infected in the hospital’s cancer unit and a range of bacteria was discovered in the water supply. Now it has emerged another six children have been infected and the health board has called in experts from across the UK to help find a ‘permanent solution’ to the problem.

The bugs pose very low risk to anyone with a healthy immune system but can harm patients whose immunity is compromised through cancer treatment.

A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said 22 children undergoing cancer treatment have been moved while experts investigate why the bacteria are building up in the drains, and try to solve the problem. The children have been moved to adult wards of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Earlier this year work was carried out to replace metal taps with plastic, filters were attached to taps and the drains and ward were cleaned. After the work was completed, the health board said there had been no new cases of infections among the patients for several weeks, but ‘recently’ six new cases had emerged.

The spokesman said: ‘Although all the children have recovered and been discharged or are continuing with their normal treatments, we instigated an Incident management team to further investigate and manage the situation. What we are seeing is a build-up of biofilm in the drains which is the same sort of biofilm we get in domestic sink drains. This build-up has happened only seven weeks after they were cleaned.

‘These wards treat children with cancer who have very low immunity to infections so to put cameras down the drains we need to move the patients.’

In a Facebook post Donna Louise Hurrell, whose daughter Rosie Veronica Mitchell is undergoing cancer treatment at the hospital, said: ‘This is the third time her chemo has been delayed due to water, drain, bacteria issues at the so-called “flagship” hospital. Any delay could have effects on outcomes for her.’