C. diff outbreak ward at Ninewells Hospital closes

The ward at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee where five elderly patients died during a superbug outbreak last year has closed, NHS Tayside confirmed on Friday.

Ward 31 will remain empty until a new use is found for it.

The closure had been expected since May as hospital management had previously said its isolated position was not ideal.

An NHS Tayside spokesman said, “All patients who were in ward 31 have moved to the new medicine for the elderly unit in ward 5/6 on the medical floor.

“Ward 31 is located in a position away from the other medical adult wards at Ninewells and the future use of this ward is yet to be decided.”

Eight elderly patients were infected during the Clostridium difficile outbreak a year ago and five of them died. The number of beds in the ward was then reduced to lessen the risk of infection passing between patients.

The latest quarterly figures showed that the number of C. diff infections in Tayside hospitals during April to June was half that of the same period in 2009.