Tragic Fife couple's case leads to calls for national norovirus review
Cowdenbeath MSP Helen Eadie has called for an urgent investigation into hospital hygiene following the deaths of an elderly couple who contracted the deadly winter vomiting bug.
Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline.
- By Leeza Clark
- Published in the Courier : 31.01.12
- Published online : 31.01.12 @ 10.55am
Dorothy and Andy McEwen, who were both 83, died only days apart in 2010. Mrs McEwen fell ill with norovirus while a patient in Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline, and her husband went on to catch the bug after talking his wife's laundry home to wash, unaware of potentially fatal risk from germs clinging to the clothing.
In fact it has emerged NHS Fife, in line with the majority of Scottish health boards, don't wash soiled garments which belong to patients. Instead, clothing is placed in special sealed bags to give to relatives to wash at home along with handling instructions.
The double tragedy for the close-knit Fife family has prompted Mrs Eadie to back leading bacteriologist Professor Hugh Pennington in his call for a review of hygiene practices.
''We are getting to grips with MRSA and C. diff but norovirus is a problem we are no getting to grips with yet,'' he said.
He said verbal information was vital, as well as written details of how to safely handle personal effects soiled with the active and virulent bug, which closes wards and hits thousands of Scots every year.
Mrs Eadie said: ''There needs to be an urgent and thorough investigation into these incidents. Professor Pennington is absolutely right to call for a root and branch review of hygiene practices in all Scottish hospitals and, personally, I think that we should not expect relatives to take home the washing of patients any longer.
''Norovirus is a serious matter in hospitals and is more infectious that either MRSA or C. diff.''
The news also made the Labour MSP restate her call for a specialist laboratory to tackle outbreaks of such infections.
She said: ''I have called for a properly resourced reference laboratory to tackle healthcare-associated infections before and it is time that the Scottish Government listened.
''When you go into hospital the last thing anyone should have to be concerned about are infections. This is a heart-breaking case and Mr and McEwen's family and friends have all our sympathy at this awful time.''
Earlier this month The Courier revealed NHS Fife had apologised to Mrs McEwen's grieving family over the treatment given to her in her final days. Her family members were not even able say their final goodbyes.
Mrs McEwen's daughter raised a number of concerns over the care and treatment of her late mother with the ombudsman. Of nine complaints, relating to the clinical treatment, nursing care, communication, record keeping and the way the health authority handled complaints, seven were upheld and the catalogue of failings led the ombudsman to make a series of recommendations which the health authority has to implement to improve standards of care.
Now it has emerged the distraught family lost their father only four days later after he took a bag of her clothing he found on her bed home to wash. Instead of reading a note attached which said the entire bag should be placed intact into the washing machine, he sorted out the clothing.
While the family said both Mr and Mrs McEwen had underlying health conditions, the virus had attacked their weakened immune systems, with devastating results.
The case led Professor Pennington, the emeritus professor of bacteriology at Aberdeen University, to back the ombudsman's calls for better communication among staff and for a change in ward procedures. He said, in his opinion, hospitals should not give soiled clothing to relatives.
''We have got to be on top of prevention or sadly this type of situation is, unfortunately, going to be repeated.''
A spokeswoman for NHS Fife said: ''We have considered a number of ways on how best to inform relatives of how to deal with patient laundry.
''At the moment, patient laundry is placed in special patient clothing bags, which are taken by friends or relatives to wash at home. This bag is designed to be placed in the washing machine, unopened.
''In normal circumstances, ward staff speak to relatives on a one-to-one basis to inform them on how best to clean the laundry and this is backed up with the information provided on the laundry bag.''
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