Hospital Trust Pays Six-Figure Settlement

The hospital trust has paid a six-figure settlement to nine patients after an outbreak of a bacterial infection linked to the water supply. According to lawyers, three patients died, and two of these cases were due to complications related to the outbreak at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge.

Deaths Linked to Outbreak

A 54-year-old lung transplant patient, Karen Starling, died in February 2020, and Anne Martinez from Hertfordshire died in December 2020. Both women had undergone double lung transplants in 2019 and died the following year. The hospital’s managing director, Eilish Midlane, said: "Lessons were learned, and regulations revised to avoid a similar event in the future."

Settlement and Liability

The trust rejected liability but released each of the claims in full, which were secured as part of a civil complaint extended as a group lawsuit. Lawyers said the six-figure settlement package had been agreed upon in connection with the nine cases. Six other patients suffered serious complications that they continue to experience after the outbreak of Mycobacterium Abscessus (M.abscessus).

Bacterial Infection

M.abscessus is a bacterial infection that is a particular risk for people who are vulnerable and immunosuppressed, such as lung transplant patients. Lawyer Jatinder Paul said that the patients were admitted to "this world-famous hospital… in the hope of a better life". He added that large public buildings with complex water systems, such as hospitals, can be at increased risk of contamination from water.

Investigations and Findings

Investigations were carried out in 2022 into the deaths of Ms. Starling and Ms. Martinez. Keith Morton, the deputy corporate medical director, found that Ms. Starling’s M. Abscessus was an infection acquired in the hospital. The sons of Ms. Martinez said: "We had hoped that if she underwent her transplant, it would be the beginning of a better future… Even six years after Mum’s transplant, it is difficult to understand the events that unfolded."

Response from Hospital and Families

Ms. Starling’s husband said: "Losing Karen under such circumstances is something that our family will never really come to terms with." The hospital’s managing director, Eilish Midlane, said her "thoughts go to the patients and families involved". She added that lessons were learned at the local and national level and that the hospital is now at the forefront of researching the disease.