Ward closed after C diff deaths

Three other patients also have the bug and are being treated in isolation.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) said that Gartnavel General Hospital’s C difficile monitoring procedures identified a higher than expected number of cases of the bug in one ward.

The affected ward at the Glasgow hospital was closed to new patients on Friday as a precaution.

One of the patients who died, a 76-year-old, had recently been transferred from Drumchapel Hospital.

It is not known if C difficile was a factor in their death on October 2 as a post-mortem examination is still to be carried out.

The other patient, a 78-year-old, died of a serious underlying medical condition and their death on October 9 was not related to C difficile.

One patient is still showing symptoms of the infection but is responding well to treatment and is being nursed in isolation.

The health board said that two patients are improving and are no longer showing any symptoms of C difficile but continue to be nursed in isolation as a precaution.

NHSGGC said an outbreak control team has been established to deal with the incident.

Craig Williams, chairman of the outbreak control team, said: “As soon as our monitoring systems identified an increase in the levels of C difficile on the ward, immediate action was taken.

“All appropriate infection control measures are in place.”