 But following the deaths of the two women, an investigation was launched. Water sampling in November 2019 shockingly confirmed that the water supply was riddled with bacteria, the hospital said on its website. In order to tackle this, its chief executive said 'immediate action' was taken to ensure patient safety. Despite this inquiry Royal Papworth went on to say that it was "likely" the 34 patients who tested positive f){kind=link}
Concerns over a lack of guidance to hospitals around identifying and controlling multidrug-resistant bacteria have been expressed after two women died at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge in 2020
A woman who underwent a double lung transplant died after it was found that she had contracted a bacterial infection that was linked to the hospitals contaminated water supply, an inquest has heard.
Tragically, Karen Starling, 54, died in hospital on February 7 2020 of Mycobacterium abscessus, after routine testing at Royal Papworth Hospital in August 2019 identified the cause.
Mycobacterium abscessus is a species of rapidly growing, multidrug-resistant, atypical mycobacteria that is a common soil and water contaminant, and without treatment many people will develop a progressive lung infection.
However, the woman from Ipswich was not the first patient to have tested positive for this bacterial infection, as she was one of two patients at the Cambridge-based hospital who passed away, report Suffolk Live.