Bath hospital fined £80,000 in Legionnaire's death case
The hospital "blatantly" disregarded safety guidelines
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Thursday, 29, Mar 2007 06:43
Magistrates have fined a Bath hospital £80,000 for failing to prevent a fatal case of Legionnaire's disease.
The Royal United hospital was hit by the fine at Bristol crown court today after an investigation into the death of 37-year-old Daryl Eyles in 2004 by the Health and Safety Executive.
Mr Eyles died after contracting Legionnaire's disease while showering following his final session of chemotherapy at the hospital's William Budd oncology unit, a post-mortem showed.
It was subsequently established that the disease's bacteria were found in both the hot and cold water tanks serving the shower and the showerhead itself.
The hospital must also pay legal costs amounting to over £23,000 for its failings. It was condemned as having "blatantly" neglected to fulfil its safety requirements.
"The patients have to come first every time," Mr Eyles' brother, Derek Eyles, said afterwards.
"If that's the only way to get the hospital, the NHS to sit up and take note, to ensure that the hospitals are clean and up to a good enough safety standard for the patient, then so be it."