MRSA Action UK: Significant rise in the numbers of people contracting C.diff in 22 Acute Hospital Trust areas
Friday, 17 April 2009 12:00 AM
April 2009 has been a poignant month for the NHS with the introduction of screening for MRSA, the introduction of the new super regulator the Care Quality Commission and with the release of the latest Clostridium Difficle figures released yesterday the 16th April by the Health Protection Agency.
The latest Health Protection Agency statistics show that Clostridium difficile is on the decline with a 55% reduction on the same period last year. However 7,902 people contracted the superbug between October and December 2008, which is debilitating and can be fatal in the frail and elderly.
The postcode lottery remains with some Acute Trusts failing to get ahead of this particularly nasty superbug. With 22 Actue Trusts showing a significant increase on the same period last year, some of whom saw upwards of one and two hundred people getting C-diff in the last quarter of 2008, there is a lot more to do to save lives.
A significant proportion of specimens were taken outside of the Acute hospital setting so it is clear that C-diff is also very prevalent in the community and as such measures also need to be stepped up within the Primary Care setting and with GPs.
We would expect the Care Quality Commission to use this data to take urgent action and serve notices with Clostridium difficile having a high mortality rate, which can be as high as 25% in frail elderly patients.
It must be remembered also that C- diff leaves no dignity for anyone who is afflicted with this terrible bacteria. Even with the latest reductions there will still be some 30,000 patients who will contract this bacterium causing the deaths of some 7,000 people a year. This figure is an insult to a modern society such as ours and while we can applaud those hospitals that have mad e significant strides to reduce the incidents of C-diff, we believe it is now time to name and shame those who have not. Below is a chart showing those hospitals that have yet to bring their C-diff infection rates under control.
| Number of people reported as having C.diff October to December 2008 | Percentage increase on the same period last year | Percentage of reported specimens taken in non-acute Trusts or elsewhere | |
| Leeds Teaching Hospitals | 279 | 10% | 15% |
| South Tees Hospitals | 119 | 3% | 27% |
| County Durham & Darlington | 111 | 40% | 39% |
| Aintree University Hospitals | 109 | 33% | 4% |
| Mid Yorkshire Hospitals | 99 | 30% | 31% |
| United Lincolnshire Hospitals | 88 | 13% | 10% |
| Plymouth Hospitals | 79 | 19% | 44% |
| North Tees & Hartlepool | 78 | 26% | 19% |
| Derby Hospitals | 78 | 12% | 18% |
| Kettering General Hospital | 61 | 3% | 39% |
| Hillingdon Hospital | 59 | 7% | 8% |
| Dartford & Gravesham | 51 | 27% | 27% |
| Barking, Havering & Redbridge Hospitals | 51 | 8% | 10% |
| Taunton & Somerset | 49 | 6% | 51% |
| Hinchingbrooke Healthcare | 48 | 75% | 15% |
| Buckinghamshire Hospitals | 48 | 31% | 29% |
| Hereford Hospitals | 45 | 11% | 42% |
| Luton & Dunstable Hospital | 45 | 11% | 39% |
| South Devon Healthcare | 42 | 21% | 55% |
| Southport & Ormskirk Hospital | 37 | 32% | 32% |
| Trafford Healthcare | 37 | 22% | 19% |
| The Royal Marsden | 22 | 18% | 0% |
Derek Butler
Chair
MRSA Action UK
Registered Charity No 1115672
Tel No 07762741114
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