BATH A hospital where a man who had just recovered from leukaemia died after contracting legionnaires’ disease was fined £80,000 yesterday for “blatantly” ignoring safety guidelines (Joanna Bale writes).

Daryl Eyles, 37, had been told that he was in remission from leukaemia and was to be discharged when he caught the bug from a shower head at the Royal United Hospital, Bath, in 2004.

The hospital later admitted liability for his death after an investigation found basic maintenance of its water system had not been carried out. It was ordered to pay a fine of £80,000 and costs of £23,883 after pleading guilty at Bristol Crown Court to two charges of carrying out “inadequate” safety checks.

Judge Richard Bromilow said that the trust had been guilty of failing to comply with a series of safety guidelines because of the costs involved: “Funds are limited and accordingly they have to be prioritised.

“In my judgment, those who allocated these limited funds seem to have ignored the health of patients between 2001 and the time of Mr Eyles’s death.”

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