There has been a number of reports over the last couple of years about water management failings in council run care homes. In the last few days, it was announced that Reading Borough Council has been fined £100,000 (plus £20,000 costs) following an investigation into the death of a pensioner who died from exposure to Legionella.
The investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) centred on a care facility, The Willows, which is operated by Reading Borough Council. A coroner ruled that the resident died of Legionella pneumonia, after being admitted to hospital. The inquest heard that he tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease and the same bacteria strain was found in the washbasin tap of his bedroom in the care home.

Legionella failings at care homes

The prosecution highlighted a number of systemic failings at the care home which had continued over a period of time. These included Legionella training for the key personnel at The Willows being significantly below the standard required. There were also inadequate temperature checks and some of those done with respect to Thermostatic Mixer Valves (TMVs) were done incorrectly. In addition, showers were not descaled and disinfected quarterly as required; flushing of little used outlets was reliant on one member of staff and there was no procedure for this to be done in the absence of that member of staff.

To make matters worse, there was a history of legionella problems at the home which was formerly known as Tanfield Care Home. The monitoring, checking and flushing tasks were given to the home’s handyman who was inadequately trained and supervised. And there was no system in place to cover for him when he was away so that the requisite checks were not done.

Protecting the vulnerable

With elderly residents of care homes being particularly susceptible to infection, it imperative that water systems in these facilities should be designed, installed, operated and maintained to the highest possible standard.

Water borne bacteria such as Legionella can enter these buildings in a number of different ways - from cooling towers to showers, taps to respiratory equipment. Sinks, shower-heads, aerators and toilets are just a few of the areas which can act as reservoirs for bacteria and provide the ideal conditions for them to multiply and spread.

Statistics show that elderly and vulnerable people are more at risk of falling prey to Legionnaires’ Disease, so it is more important than ever that the managers of care homes put a water management system in place. This involves a full Legionella risk assessment backed up by monitoring and water testing and comprehensive staff training and maintenance procedures.

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