Clostridium Difficile: Hospital Chiefs could face manslaughter charges

Following the deaths of 90 patients directly and a further 180 deaths where the Clostridium Difficile infection was a contributory factor, senior managers at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust could face charges of criminal negligence or even corporate manslaughter. Clostridium Difficile (C Diff) is a deadly bug, named as such because when it was first discovered it was difficult to grow in a laboratory. The bacterium produces two toxins, which cause diarrhoea and damage cells.

A report into conditions at three hospitals under the trust found hospital beds crammed in wards that were rarely empty, making it difficult to clean. There was a shortage of nurses to assist patients and showers, basins, commodes and bed pans were found to be in filthy conditions. Infected patients were not moved to isolation wards but left in the main ward with only a curtain screen between them and a neighbouring patient.

If you think a friend or relative has contacted C Diff, then insist the patient is moved to an isolated ward to try to get rid of the infection. Hospital staff should check that no other patients are showing symptoms. Patients with C Diff should not be moved back onto a main ward until the infection has cleared. Each case has to be considered on its own merits, but if you think you or a relative has been infected, please call Vickki Ridgway or Mark Evans for a free initial discussion