SANDWICHES and salads on offer at Barnsley Hospital that were linked to the listeria outbreak have been removed after five people in other hospitals died.
Public Health England confirmed last week that the number of deaths related to the food items had risen from three to five.
However, Barnsley Hospital was linked to the outbreak when it was found the pre-packed sandwiches and salads came from its supplier - the Good Food Company.
A spokesman for Barnsley Hospital also confirmed that the supplier of the pre-packed meals had been changed.
“At the end of May we were made aware of a confirmed listeria outbreak linked to pre-packed sandwiches and salads supplied to our hospital by the Good Food Company.
“As a precautionary measure we immediately removed all products from the supplier from our hospital food outlets and patient meal services, and arranged for pre-packed sandwiches and salads to be provided by an alternative supplier.
“Our infection prevention and control team also immediately took steps to make all consultants and our Emergency Department aware of the issue. We have had no cases of listeria at Barnsley Hospital.”
NHS England, NHS Improvement and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) confirmed the Good Food chain items affected product lines to the following 43 NHS Trusts, plus one independent provider.
It was also confirmed the outbreak investigation is continuing and the public health risk remains low.
