Cancer ward to close after mould infections found in patients

A cancer ward in an East Ayrshire hospital will close after a number of patients became infected with mould.

The aspergillosis cases were detected at University Hospital Crosshouse in Kilmarnock earlier this year.

It is usually caused by breathing in small bits of mould found in dust, bedding, damp buildings and air conditioning systems - as well as soil, plants and trees.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran said national reporting requirements had been followed and the source of the aspergillus mould was under investigation.

Separately, a small number of patients were found to have stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections - another bacteria that can be found in hospitals and can be difficult to treat.

The health board said this issue had been investigated and was now closed.

Aspergillosis symptoms include shortness of breath, a cough, wheezing, a high temperature, losing weight without trying and feeling tired.

It is not clear where cancer patients at the Kilmarnock hospital will be moved once the ward closes.

Nurse director Jennifer Wilson said: "NHS Ayrshire and Arran identified a very small number of patients with aspergillosis within a ward in University Hospital Crosshouse earlier this year.

"We notified Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection Scotland (ARHAI) of the incident in line with the national reporting requirements and are working closely with them.

"While we have taken measures to address the issue, in order to complete essential maintenance to the ward infrastructure, we are currently exploring alternative ward accommodation to allow these works to take place."

The BBC has asked the health board exactly when the infections were detected and whether the mould had been listed on patients' death certificates, as reported by The Herald newspaper.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran said it would not release further information, such as the number of patients affected.

It comes as the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry investigates the construction of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus in Glasgow, which includes the Royal Hospital for Children.

It was set up after a number of patient deaths including that of 10-year-old cancer patient Milly Main.

The inquiry has heard evidence that a number of cancer patients who died at the QEUH had tested positive for aspergillus.