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Operations cancelled after 'contamination'.

Charlotte Cox
8/ 8/2007

FIFTY-eight operations at Macclesfield Hospital were scrapped after surgical instruments were found to be contaminated with steel dust.

Routine operations had to be cancelled for a full week after the discovery of the problem.

The contamination was said to be caused by a fault in a machine designed to clean the instruments. Surgeons at the hospital continued emergency procedures but with apparatus cleansed elsewhere.

East Cheshire NHS Trust last night apologised to patients who were booked in for surgery between Thursday, July 26, and Friday, August 3.

Some who had already been admitted were sent home and others received letters telling them not to go in.

And last night (Tuesday), the trust pledged to reschedule the cancelled operations to dates "in the very near future".

A concerned hospital worker called the Macclesfield Express claiming that "steel filings" had been discovered among supposedly sterile surgical tools.

A trust spokeswoman confirmed a machine fault had left a "steel residue" on surgical apparatus - but insisted there had been only "minimal risk" to patients.

She said the residue was spotted in the Hospital Sterilisation and Disinfection Unit (HSDU), where the equipment was processed and the instruments were recalled from theatres unused, and hand washed before resterilislation.

The trust insisted that the steel was non-toxic and there were no anticipated safety issues. The insider claimed staff had been warned they faced the sack if they leaked news of the contamination and criticised the trust for failing to inform patients about what had happened.

The source said: "We have been told not to say anything and risked losing our jobs if we did.

"But I would have liked to know if I was having an operation, and I certainly would feel uncomfortable if a relative was having one. People deserve to know.I think this has been going on for longer than just a week.

"How do they know they spotted it straight away? I would be wondering about that."

The trust spokeswoman strenuously denied any issues over dismissal, claiming it was important that staff knew they must stick to a procedure in sensitive matters to avoid undue public alarm.

Trust chief executive, John Wilbraham, said: "We consider safety as paramount and as soon as we identified the risk we took action to resolve it. We are sorry for the incovenience caused to our patients and are looking to reschedule their appointments as soon as possible."

He praised staff for the way they handled the cancellation crisis.

He said the hospital would inform patients "if necessary" and maintained the problem was spotted straight away.

The contamination was a result of a failure in a piece of equipment which washes apparatus before being sterilised.

The fault meant dust from the mechanism ended up on surgical equipment, and apparatus for emergency operations had to be sent to Stepping Hill Hospital and the private company Synergy, to be cleaned, at a cost of £5,500.

The trust spokeswoman added: "As soon as the fault was identified in the washing unit, which resulted in a residue being left on apparatus, alternative arrangements were put in place.Equipment was sent out for cleaning and returned for sterilisation to Macclesfield, to ensure as little disruption as possible to planned operations at the hospital."

She said the trust was discussing the issue with consultants and had received advice from the Health Protection Agency to identify potential concerns.

She added: "The equipment is now fully operational and other units have been checked."

The Health Protection Agency confirmed their decontamination experts had advised the trust on how to deal with the crisis.


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Most recent 2 of 3 user comments

   They say progress is best, but I think that the Health Service would be greatly improved if we went back to "old standards and values" Hospitals should be in government control. Bring back the matron who everyone respected, instead of Managers who are out to line their own pockets. Get rid of outside contractors and bring back "In house" operations for porters, cleaners, CSSD, HSDU etc. Have Domestics on each ward like years ago, instead of giving the poor cleaners of today so few hours on each ward. The Domestics of yester year were part of each ward/family, they took pride in the wards and would have been mortified at the cleanliness of todays wards. You don't need your spirit gels etc. what you need domestics who can work through the week on their own ward caring for them and taking pride in their work. How often now is something spilt/dropped on the floor or under beds and is still there days later?? The domestics used to pull the beds out regularly to clean and "damp-dust" all the time. Beds themselves were cleaned underneath. Bed tables were cleaned several times a day, including after meals and drinks, ward floors were given a good wax, buff and polish several times a year. Curtains around beds were changed regularly. Next time you visit the East Cheshire, look at the windows and see how clean they are, raise you eyes to the ceilings and fans and see the cobwebs..... take a look in the ward kitchens and the Sister's offices. My God, the domestics of yester year would be turning in their graves. And, why on earth does every ward need a Manager, the "old style" ward sister managed her ward well and also had the respect, remember Sisters Tebay, Birch, Bebbington, Kroll and Matron Daymond and Hassett. And did we have MRSA, C Diff, etc, etc,........ No, we had clean wards, respectful and happy staff, uniforms that made you feel proud to be wearing it, various ward drinks served by domestics who wore white aprons instead of rubber gloves and plastic aprons, and freshly made drinks that tasted wonderful instead of a drink the tastes like soup/tea/coffee/chocolate/horlicks and ovaltine all mixed together. You ask anyone who has been a hospital worker for more than twenty-five years or more and I can guarantee you many of them will say the old ways were best.
Sue, Macc
13/08/2007 at 14:17
   Well said Sue. A little openness and honesty, from the Trust, would not go amiss. Should we have to ask for it though. Of course not, it should be there. This would not have happened if the Hospital had retained its own sterilising unit, which it used to have.

There is no excuse for any form of contamination. I thought that â€oewhistle blowers” would be welcomed, if it improves standards. Letâ€<sup>TM</sup>s face it is difficult to sink lower in confidence, and honesty could only help.

Ken, Macclesfield
9/08/2007 at 11:03
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