Norwich: More Water Tests on Baby Unit

14 March 2012, 05:56 | Updated: 14 March 2012, 08:02

Work is continuing at the Norfolk and Norwich University hospital to make sure the water at their baby intensive care until, after higher than normal amounts of a bacteria were found at the start of the month.

Work to fix the water supply in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the hospital has now taken place and preliminary testing by the hospital indicates that there are no longer high levels of pseudomonas bacteria in the water.  

The hospital say further testing of all the supply points will continue until the testing process has restored their full confidence in the water quality.  

Until then they are taking the precaution of continuing to use sterile water for baby care. 

They are screening all babies currently on the neonatal unit, to check whether there are any other babies who are colonised with this bacteria. 

The team in NICU has spoken individually with parents who have babies in the unit to update them. Routine water testing in NICU recently identified higher than normal levels of a bacteria called pseudomonas. At the same time, a number of babies were identified as carrying the same bacteria (colonisation). None of the babies are showing any clinical signs of pseudomonal infection.  

NICU is open as normal