Hospital virus cases rise

The hospital was closed following the outbreak

A further 31 cases of viral infection have been reported at the Victoria Infirmary in Glasgow, taking the current total to 218.

The hospital was forced to cancel planned operations and close its doors to new admissions following the outbreak at the end of last week.

Health chiefs were hoping the worst was over when 25 new cases, the lowest daily rate, were recorded on Saturday.

Glasgow's Victoria Infirmary said on Sunday 218 staff and patients have now been affected by the "winter vomiting" bug which causes sickness and diarrhoea.

Planned admissions cancelled

Hospital bosses had already cancelled 88 planned admissions and they announced on Sunday that a further 50 would be cancelled at the Victoria and the Southern General, which is also part of the same trust.

A spokesman said: "Regrettably the daily trend of patients and staff affected by the virus is not yet showing a downward trend, and although this is not untypical of the nature of this kind of viral outbreak it does mean that the trust cannot look forward to an early resumption of the clinical activity at the Victoria Infirmary.

Current position

149 patients affected

69 staff affected

35 others with symptoms

Unknown number who have incubated the virus

138 planned admissions cancelled

"Contingency plans which have been operational since Friday evening will continue with emergency admissions being directed to the Southern General Hospital."

The revised figures followed a further meeting by an outbreak control team on Saturday made up of infection control nurses and public health department staff.

The trust said 149 patients and 69 members of staff had been affected so far.

The new total comes in the wake of an announcement by Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm that a hygiene inspection of every Scottish hospital would take place in the coming weeks.

Mr Chisholm said: "We shouldn't be judged by the problem but what we do about it.

"There will be inspections of all hospitals in the next few weeks and it is this kind of action that we need to emphasis."

Malcolm Chisholm: "We should be judged on our action"

But Conservative MSP Ben Wallace questioned why Mr Chisholm was implementing such guidelines now, two years after they had been introduced.

"Why do we have to wait until something goes wrong before we act?" questioned Mr Wallace.

The Scottish National Party's Nicola Sturgeon insisted that people should go into hospital to "get better, not become sicker than when they first went in."

She added: "The problem doesn't seem to be getting any better, we need to speed up action in this area."

Mr Chisholm said he accepted that there were particular problems relating only to the Victoria.

NHS review

But he said he would not at this stage make moves to take over the running of the hospital, as he had recently done with the Beatson cancer unit.

Mr Chisholm said he would wait on the outcome of the review the Glasgow NHS Board was undertaking on the future of the Victoria.

He added: "I remain very concerned by this outbreak and the impact it is having on hospital services in south Glasgow.

"My main concern at this stage is with those patients and staff in the Victoria who have contracted this viral infection.

"I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to staff at the Victoria and elsewhere in the South Glasgow Trust.

The Victoria Infirmary was closed to new admissions on Friday in the hope of stemming new cases of the so-called winter vomiting virus.

Pupils fall ill

Meanwhile, in an unrelated stomach virus outbreak, 130 pupils at Forthill Primary School in Dundee were reported off sick on Friday.

Health officials from NHS Tayside are considering closing the school next week.

The virus outbreak is not the first crisis the infirmary has had to tackle in the recent days.

An investigation is already under way after three patients died from salmonella poisoning.

The hospital stressed that there was no link between the two infections.

The hospital has set up an emergency helpline on: 0800 7834307.