Vow on superbug battle

Hospitals today spoke about their battle to keep the Clostridium Difficile (C.diff) superbug under control. Shock figures obtained by the Express & Star showed 1,300 cases in Black Country hospitals until the end of September last year.

But health chiefs say the fight to contain the bug is being won, thanks to strict new procedures to improve cleanliness. Dr Alun Davies, consultant microbiologist at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, said the trust was making progress in improving infection rates for both C.diff and MRSA.

As well as having one of the lowest rates of C.diff infection in the Black Country, cases of MRSA infections had also fallen significantly, Dr Davies said.

"This reflects the significant amount of work we have done around improving antibiotic prescribing, raising standards of cleanliness, improving and monitoring clinical procedures and renewed handwashing and hygiene campaigns over the last year," he said.

Suzie Fothergill, spokeswoman for the Dudley Group of Hospitals Trust, said: "The Dudley Group of Hospitals has a very robust Infection control and prevention strategy and a dedicated Infection Control team who work across the trust directly with wards and departments to further reduce the risk of infection in our hospitals," she said.

"Our Clean Your Hands campaign has been running since 2004 and is successfully reinforcing the key messages around practising good hand hygiene amongst staff, patients and visitors."

Bosses at Walsall Manor hospital opened an High Dependancy isolation unit of patients suffering from C.diff at the end of last year.

It is believed to be one of the first units in the country, dedicated to the treatment of the illness, combined with specialist care for the other illnesses that patients may be suffering from already.

Before the 22-bed ward opened on December 28, patients who had contracted the superbug were treated in separate bays or private rooms.

Deaths involving MRSA and Clostridium difficile are still on the rise nationally, according to figures released today.

* Clostridium difficile is a 'bad' bacteria found in the intestines of healthy and ill people alike. When the body is healthy and is not on antibiotics, the 'good' bacteria keeps the C.diff under control and in smaller numbers.

By Jon Wood