Endoscope decontamination process failure identified at Corbett Hospital

Those affected should have received a letter of notification from the Trust.

One of our clients attended as an outpatient for a routine cystoscopy, which is a procedure to look inside the bladder using a thin camera, at Corbett Hospital which resulted in hospitalisation due to sepsis in January 2020.

As part of our investigation, Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust disclosed a Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Report which identities that 46 patients in total were involved in “adverse incidents” between January and July of 2020. Issues affecting these patients ranged from urinary tract and testicular infections to discitis.  Sadly, two patients who developed testicular infections secondary to the urinary tract infections had to undergo an orchidectomy (removal of testis).

All the scopes that were used to perform the cystoscopies, as well the clinical environment, were sampled and pseudomonas, which is a type of bacteria that can cause lung infections, was identified.  The report identified many failings on the part of the Department which relate mainly to the sanitation of equipment, and 14 changes were made to their internal processes as a result.

Daniel Morgan, a member of the medical negligence team at Shoosmiths, comments: “The failings identified with the sanitation of equipment are concerning. As part of my investigation into these claims I have learned how the ongoing issues from the infection still effect my clients, and the impact they have on their daily lives. I hope that the changes made to the Trust’s internal processes improve patient safety within the department and prevent a situation like this occurring in the future”.

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