According to the Nanaimo Daily News, infection-control experts with the Vancouver Island Health Authority largely blamed inadequate housekeeping practices for the deadly 2008 outbreak of Clostridium difficile at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
Documents previously withheld by VIHA and obtained this week by the Nanaimo Daily News through the Freedom of Information Act show health officials knew by July 2008 that the virus, which first appeared at NRGH in April of that year, rapidly spread to five different hospital floors because of inadequate cleaning. Personal contact was an issue, but "housekeeping is really the biggest problem," the documents reveal.
Some members of the public questioned the effectiveness of the private housekeeping contractor, Compass Group Canada, but VIHA signed a second five-year contract in 2009. This time, however, the health authority created an escape clause that allowed health officials to retender the contract at any time. VIHA announced this week that it is looking for another private company to take over the housekeeping and food services for Island hospitals and residential care facilities.
Compass and its subsidiaries have held the Island contracts for six years, during which time hospitals had regular infection outbreaks, failed housekeeping audits and damaging WorkSafe B.C. inspections. This led VIHA to explore other options, according to Joe Murphy, vice-president of operations and support services.
"We need to find a provider to consistently hit quality standards that are written into the contract and that we would expect everywhere in the province," he said.
Other factors led to the spread of C. difficile in 2008, including overcrowding, but improper cleaning methods and insufficient cleaner strength had a significant effect in the 11-month outbreak that began in 2008 and infected 94 people.
Article Taken From "Cleanlink News" May 21, 2010
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