Woman dies after contracting Legionnaires’ following UK holiday
Pensioner, 69, who travelled abroad up to three times a year went on holiday to British 17th century hotel instead and died after falling ill from Legionnaires’ disease
- Elaine Esther Brown fell ill after returning from the Feathers Hotel in Ludlow
- Coroner said she died from a stroke that was linked to Legionnaires’ disease
- Ex-director admits he had no experience in running hotels when he took over it
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Elaine Esther Brown, 69, (pictured) died of a stroke linked to Legionnaires’ disease after she and her husband visited the hotel
A pensioner died after contracting Legionnaires’ disease following a holiday at a 17th century hotel.
Elaine Esther Brown, 69, fell ill after returning home to Liverpool following a trip to Ludlow, Shropshire, with her husband Graham.
They stayed at the 40-bedroom Feathers Hotel on July 30 last year as part of an organised coach trip.
John Ellery, senior coroner for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, said today Mrs Brown died four weeks later from a stroke linked to Legionnaires’ disease.
The inquest at Shirehall heard that the pair met in July 1987, when Mrs Brown was 38 and he was 11 years her junior, and married a year later.
A statement read out on behalf of Mr Brown, who died last month, said they travelled abroad two or three times a year but had recently decided to holiday in England.
Mr and Mrs Brown got on a coach in Liverpool on July 30 and headed to Warwick, Lincoln and then Ludlow.
Pictured: The Feathers Hotel in Ludlow, Shropshire, whose former director today told an inquest that he had no experience in managing hotels when he took it over
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The statement read: ‘We stayed one night at the Feathers Hotel in Ludlow. We were on the second floor and it had a disappointing view looking out onto a garage and some outbuildings.
The couple were staying at a Shropshire hotel whose former director admitted he found the document on Legionnaires’ risk assessment very difficult to comprehend
‘We had a routine when we went on holiday and she always had a shower first in the morning.
‘We both showered, cleaned our teeth then went to Ludlow market and to the castle. Elaine thought the trip was great.’
Mr Brown said he noticed something was wrong with his wife’s health when she could not get out of bed the following weekend.
The statement added: ‘She later got up in the afternoon but she didn’t want anything to eat then went to bed early.
‘On the Sunday she didn’t look well and said she didn’t feel it. She tried to get up out of bed but fell back down.’
Mr Brown phoned for an ambulance and Mrs Brown was taken to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
WHAT IS LEGIONNAIRES’ DISEASE?
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia that causes lung inflammation.
It is caused by a bacterium, known as Legionella.
Around 500 people in the UK and 6,100 in the US suffer every year.
The condition can cause life-threatening complications, including respiratory failure, kidney failure and septic shock, which occurs when blood flow to the vital organs is blocked.
Most sufferers become ill by inhaling tiny water droplets from infected sources, such as shower heads, hot tubs, swimming pools or ventilation systems in buildings.
Anyone can become infected, however, at-risk people include the elderly, smokers and those with suppressed immune systems, such as chemotherapy patients.
Symptoms usually develop between two and 10 days after exposure to the bacteria.
Early signs include:
- Headache
- Muscle pain
- Fever and chills
People may then experience:
- Cough, which may bring up blood
- Breathlessness
- Chest pain
- Nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea
- Confusion
Treatment is antibiotics, usually in hospital, as soon as possible.
Prevention involves meticulous cleaning and disinfection of water systems.
People can reduce their risk by not smoking as this damages the lungs and makes individuals more susceptible.
Source: Mayo Clinic
On the Monday morning, the following day, she was transferred to the intensive care unit and put on a ventilator until August 26.
Mrs Brown died later that evening from a stroke contributed to by Legionella pneumonia.
In the months after her death, Mr Brown was diagnosed with clinical depression and was signed off work.
Mr Brown’s statement followed: ‘I woke up on the Monday morning and noted that the hospital had tried to call me.
‘I went in and the doctor told me there was nothing else they could do and they were going to turn her life machine off.’
‘I wanted to go back to the way things were but I know it can’t because Elaine is not there.
Former director of the Feathers Hotel Tim Ceney took over the establishment in 2004 after his father died, and admitted to the inquest he had no experience in running hotels, building work or plumbing.
He told the hearing: ‘In 2012, having read an article in a magazine, I asked the hotel manager Ian Taylor to commission a legionnaires risk assessment.
‘I found this document very difficult to comprehend but I requested that Ian implement as many measures as he could.’
In 2013, Mr Ceney forwarded the risk assessment on to Grange Heating Services Ltd, based in Leominster, Herefordshire, for advice.
Following a survey of the hotel, owner Ewen Grange sent Mr Ceney an email with a list of proposed works that would allegedly remove the legionella risk.
The programme of works was carried out in January 2017, Mr Ceney said.
At that point he believed the risk of legionella had been ‘completely eliminated’.
He also told the inquest that he was contacted in July 2015 by Shropshire Council to say there had been a legionnaires case in the Midlands and during the incubation period, the person had stayed at the Feathers.
In April 2017, just months before Mrs Brown contracted the disease, Mr Ceney was alerted that another woman had fallen ill.
Tim Ceney (pictured, right, outside the inquest today) commissioned Ian Taylor (pictured, left) to carry out a risk assessment
Mr Taylor, the hotel’s former manager of 14 years, told the inquest the rectification works were completed by February 2017 and there was regular tap flushing, temperature readings and shower head cleaning.
He added: ‘Since Mrs Brown’s death the Feathers worked tirelessly in relation to its legionella risk. Due to the nature of the building, it has been a complicated and difficult process.’
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