Quinte Health Care medical staff and management have tightened their focus on the bacteria, or superbug, known as VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci).
Quinte 5 at Belleville General Hospital has been in an “outbreak” position since last December, a very long period of time.
QHC Chief of Staff Dr. Colin MacPherson says infection control experts from Public Health Ontario inspected Quinte 5 recently and will be making final recommendations on solving the problem within a few weeks.
Dr. MacPherson said the inspection team had a lot of good things to say about infection control efforts at Belleville General but he’s looking for more advice on solutions, adding VRE is tough on patients and staff.
Quinte 5 is in the old part of Belleville General Hospital and its facilities aren’t up to modern standards in some ways and the ever increasing number of patients needing care makes fighting the VRE bacteria very difficult.
There have been no outbreaks of VRE in the new Sills Wing.
