Map reveals full list of NHS trusts affected by listeria sandwich scandal after 5 die

HEALTH bosses have identified all of the hospitals where five patients died after eating listeria-linked sandwiches.

Public Health England has also named the full 43 NHS Trusts which were supplied packaged sarnies by The Good Food Chain.

It also named one independent provider which was supplied with potentially infected grub.

The deaths occurred at four different hospital trusts – one at Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool, one at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust and the one at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust.

The health agency had previously only identified the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, where two people died.

Three other trusts have diagnosed listeria cases linked to the outbreak with no deaths.

Two cases were at Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, one at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust and one at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.

The Good Food Chain

Details of the trusts affected come after Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned there will be “severe consequences” if there is evidence of “wrongdoing”.

The Good Food Chain, which supplied 43 NHS trusts across the UK as well as one independent provider, voluntarily ceased production.

PHE said the investigation into the outbreak is continuing.

The business was supplied with meat produced by North Country Cooked Meats, which has since tested positive for the outbreak strain of listeria and also stopped production.

Hospitals warned 7 years ago

It comes as it was revealed that hospitals were warned about the listeria risk from ready-made sandwiches in 2012.

The British Sandwich Association said the elderly and very sick should be given pre-packaged sarnies only on a doctor’s say-so.

The Food Standards Agency backed the warning before relaxing its advice in 2016.

The U-turn is likely to come under scrutiny in the Government-backed probe into the deaths.

Director of the BSA, Jim Winship, issued the original warning.

He said the association was recommending that sandwiches and salads should not be served to vulnerable patients at “high-risk” from listeriosis “without the prior agreement of the clinicians responsible”.

The FSA backed the advice, but said it was right to change its mind three years ago.

It said: “The FSA listeriosis guidance, published in 2016, is robust in setting out good practice controls that hospitals can put in place to manage listeria risks.

“We have revisited this guidance in light of the outbreak and have confirmed that it remains current.”

Listeria infection is rare and usually causes a mild illness in healthy people.

However, it can have more serious consequences among those with pre-existing medical conditions, pregnant women and those with a weak immune system.

PHE insisted the health risk to the public remains low and said people should only seek medical attention if they develop symptoms.

BBC

BSA director Jim Winship wrote the original warning which recommended that sandwiches and salads weren’t served to vulnerable patients[/caption]

Getty

Listeria is a bacteria that can cause an infection if ingested – most people will barely notice the illness but some people are high risk, such as pregnant women, babies and the elderly[/caption]

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