A Newton Aycliffe woman was left for four days without a shower in Darlington Memorial Hospital after the water was infected by  'antibiotic-resistant bacteria' CPE.

CPE can be a dangerous bacterial infection for vulnerable people because it is resistant to antibiotics. Although the hospital has confirmed it is under control and measures are purely preventative. 

This comes as a wheelchair user and left-leg amputee, was admitted to the hospital Thursday, November 14 and experienced diarrhoea during her stay.

Despite her condition, she was denied access to a shower, with hospital staff instead using wet wipes to clean her. This situation reportedly led to her getting a severe bedsore.

She was initially allowed to shower on November 16. However, when she requested another on November 18, she was denied one without explanation.

On November 19, a doctor informed her that the denial was due to an infection in the ward's drains.

After four days without a shower, whilst she had diarrhoea, she was moved to another ward that day that had an accessible wet room and was finally able to bathe.

County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust have confirmed that there was an infection in the pipes and that they did use wet wipes on patients to help reduce the risk to them as part of infection control measures whilst the infection was present in the drains.

CPE is an infection that can be found in drainpipes and so following preventative measures from national guidance, the hospital made the decision to put bags over sinks and reduce patients' showers to stop the spread of the infection onto vulnerable people.

Bags over the sinks so no one can use it as the hospital experienced an infection in the waterBags over the sinks so no one can use it as the hospital experienced an infection in the water (Image: contributor)

Speaking with the woman's husband, he said: "Sinks were covered with plastic bags limiting handwashing options for patients and staff.

"It is affecting us all really badly. I have had the shock of my life whilst she has been in there. 

"I think there are four things you need for recovery which are good hygiene, good food, rest and medication and she is only getting the last one.

"I have asked so many questions and we have just had no answers at all." 

His wife has just returned home after nearly two weeks in the hospital where she continues to recover from her illnesses.

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A spokesperson for the County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust, said: “At County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, patient safety and well-being remain our top priorities.

"We are sorry if any patient is dissatisfied with any aspect of their care.

"At Darlington Memorial Hospital, we have implemented patient safety measures in line with national guidance from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to reduce the risk of exposure to CPE (carbapenemase-producing enterobacterales), a bacteria that can be found in the drains of sinks and showers.

"As a precaution, we are advising patients to minimise the use of sinks and showers, as water droplets that have been in contact with the drain can potentially spread germs.

"While we would never deny a patient access to a shower, we are following national guidance by recommending the use of waterlight bathing wipes as a safer alternative during this period.

"In addition, we have introduced rigorous cleaning routines and encourage patients to take preventative measures to reduce the risk of contact with CPE further.

"We take all feedback very seriously and are committed to delivering the highest quality patient care.

"We encourage patients to contact our Patient Experience Team at cdda-tr.patientexperiencecddft@nhs.net or by calling 0800 783 5774 so we can discuss details of their care in more detail."