Legionnaires fear at Liverpool day care centre

Oct 11 2008 by Haydon Wood, Liverpool Daily Post

THE threat of Legionnaires disease forced the  immediate evacuation  of vulnerable people  with mental disabilities  from a Liverpool  council-run day care  centre, the Daily Post  can reveal.

Holt Hall in Netherley  was shut without  warning and 29 day  care users were cleared  out after tests revealed  that the water supply  was infected.
 
Opposition leaders last night  called for an independent  inquiry into why such  vulnerable people were put at  risk but the city council  insisted there had been “no  immediate risk” to staff or  service users.

The admission by Joe Blott,  assistant executive director of  adult care, emerged at a  council health, care and  safeguarding select committee  after a series of questions by  ward councillor Janet Kent.

She claimed service users  and their families had been  left in the dark about what had  happened in August.
Councillors did not hear  about the Legionnaires threat  until a meeting on Thursday.

Mr Blott explained the water  supply had become infected in  the old 1970s buildings in  Caldway Drive which the  council ceased to use last year.

Users in the annexe which  was still used, however, had  been sharing the same water  supply since the old buildings  were emptied, the committee  heard.

Mr Blott said: “The water  supply comes from the old  building.

“Legionnaires was discovered in the water supply  and this required extensive  treatment. As a result of that,  we immediately evacuated the  rest of the site.”

“The quality of the environment is not fit for purpose. There is a rodent infestation and the underground sewage system does give off offensive odours.”

He told the committee that  the centre has remained  closed ever since and will not  reopen.

He also said there was no  way the council could have  predicted that Legionella  would be found in the water  supply.

The council has since said  that the day care users were  never at risk and they had  planned to close Holt Hall in  the short term anyway.

However, opposition  councillors are furious that  the potential outbreak was  allowed to happen.

Cllr Kent said: “We knew  Holt Hall was going to have  this derelict site attached so I  think some of these problems  could have been expected.

“I have talked to medical  experts including a senior  chest physician who have  confirmed this was entirely  predictable if you allow standing water at a certain temperature.You left some of  the city’s most vulnerable  people at risk.”

Chair of the select  committee Cllr Roz Gladden  added: “That annexe was put  forward as a positive move  where people would be pleased  to go.

“There’s a lot of concern  about this situation. This  should have been discussed  before now.”

Deputy leader of the  opposition labour group Cllr  Paul Brant is now calling for  an independent review body to  investigate the circumstances.

He told the Daily Post last  night: “To have particularly  vulnerable day care users in a  building where this problem  has been allowed to develop is  staggering.

“We would like an  independent body to  investigate the circumstances in this case to  confirm there was no risk  and to make sure this  never happens again.”

The Health and Safety  Executive claims to have  no concerns about  Liverpool council’s actions.

Cllr Kent however said  the unexpected evacuation  and unplanned change of  day care had left some  users upset and their  carers confused.

She said: “The attempts  to communicate the message  about what was going on  didn’t take into account the  clients’ ability to share the  news they got through to the  families and carers.

“There was a long settling in  period which was reflected  in a lack of contentment at  home.

“Management was at  fault.”