Water Safety at Charlies

We acknowledge that the report in the media (external site) today focusing on the detection of Legionella in the water system at SCGH (12 February 2022) has caused distress and concern among our staff, patients and visitors.

We remain committed to being open and transparent with our patients and their families and the cases referred to in today’s media article were no exception to this commitment.

Legionella is a bacterium that lives in water. The finding of Legionella in a water system is not unusual - in fact your household water pipework is likely to contain the same bacteria, especially if not regularly flushed. SCGH has had a robust water testing regime in place for many years, and when there is a detection we immediately remediate it, including replacing fixtures and fittings and retesting until there is a negative result.

Legionella is killed by chlorine just like other bacteria found in water. In recent months, an enhanced flushing program has been in place as part of a rigorous water testing and management program to ensure the chlorine reaches all our water supply to kill any bacteria. The hospital water supply from the Water Corporation is already chlorinated; however, we have opted to introduce additional chlorination of our water as a further precaution.

As part of our recent renewed water management program, we have also conducted hundreds of tests to ensure our water supply is safe. We can reassure you that the ongoing chemical, microbiological and physical water sampling results from ward locations continue to provide assurance, and confirm, that the SCGH water is safe.

Legionnaires’ disease is uncommon. The risk of contracting a Legionella infection is minimal and it is not transmitted between humans. People at higher risk of Legionnaires’ disease include those over 50 years of age, people who smoke cigarettes, people with a weak immune system and those with a chronic medical condition such as lung disease, kidney disease, diabetes, cancer or HIV.

All patients at a higher risk of Legionnaire’s disease and with hospital-acquired pneumonia are tested and treated for legionella. If you or our patients have any concerns, please do not hesitate to speak to a member of the clinical team.

We assure you that the health and safety of our staff, patients and visitors remain our number one priority.