‘Hospital leak must not happen again’

Minister Wells’ comments came in a letter to DUP MLA Adrian McQuillan.

Back in August a staff member sustained serious burns after slipping on a corrosive liquid that escaped from an overhead pipe into a corridor in the Causeway Hospital.

The East Londonderry MLA had written to the Minister shortly after the accident voicing concerns that it may occur again.

McQuillan said: “Lessons must be learned from this unfortunate incident.

“This liquid that the member of staff slipped on is used to clear drainage pipes, and is used in other hospitals.

“The staff member in Coleraine sustained serious burns as a result of the accident, my concern is that it may occur again if this product continues to be used in the hospital environment.”

Responding to the Garvagh MLA, Minister Wells said that the incident was being investigated by the Health and Social Care Trust, and that the Northern Trust had suspended the use of the product.

The Minister stated that at the time of the incident a pipe fitting on the drainage system had detached allowing the contents to escape and leak to the floor below.

The letter went on: ‘To prevent reoccurrence in the short tem and pending the outcome of the investigation the Northern Trust has suspended the use of the product in question.’

The letter also outlined that other Trusts throughout Northern Ireland have been advised of the incident, and have been asked to ‘implement appropriate procedures to inspect drainage systems as part of their regular maintenance of systems’.