Nursing staff at Royal Perth Hospital have been advised against giving tap water to some patients as concerns remain over the rampant spread of potentially deadly Legionella bacteria and other pathogens across the facility.

The Cook Government has dismissed the latest health headache as a communication “error” and continues to claim the water at WA hospitals is safe to drink.

It’s understood nursing staff within RPH’s emergency department were first told in June to only provide patients with bottled drinking water from a cooler following advice by the Infection Prevention Management (IPM) unit due to water quality concerns.

An internal email sent by a senior clinician to staff in mid-August, obtained by The West Australian, shows the ED began running out of bottled water supplies follow

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