Hospital Fined Over Shower Death

A hospital which was condemned for ignoring safety guidance which led to a man dying from Legionnaires’ disease has been find £80,000. Daryl Eyles, 37, had just been given the all-clear from doctors treating him for leukaemia when he took a shower at Bath’s Royal United Hospital (RUH).

The hospital pleaded guilty to charges that it carried out “inadequate” safety checks on its water system. Bristol crown Court also ordered the hospital to pay £24,000 costs.

Mr Eyles had been told he was likely to make a full recovery from leukaemia but he contracted Legionnaire’s disease after taking a shower following his fourth and final chemotherapy session. The bacteria had been breeding in the shower head and both the hot and cold water tanks.

The hospital later admitted liability after a Health and Safety Executive investigation exposed a series of failings in the maintenance of the water system. The family has already received a six-figure settlement from the hospital trust.