£24,000 fine over legionella infection

Published on Saturday 28 January 2012 03:19

A HEALTH board has been fined £24,000 by a sheriff after a patient contracted the potentially lethal Legionnaires’ disease while in hospital.

The 64-year-old female fell ill during her stay at Hartwoodhill Hospital, near Shotts, Lanarkshire, in 2008. She was transferred to Wishaw General Hospital where medics found she was suffering from pneumonia with severe sepsis.

It was then discovered she had contracted Legionnaires’ disease, resulting in her spending days in a critical care unit on a ventilator. She also underwent a tracheotomy before being moved to a high dependency unit.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found legionella bacteria present in three parts of Hartwoodhill’s water system.

During a hearing at Hamilton Sheriff Court yesterday, Lanarkshire Health Board admitted failing to prevent exposure to legionella. Sheriff Douglas Brown ruled: “There was a systematic failure which continued over a significant period of time.”