18 January 2009
New figures released show that cases of C. difficile at Epsom, St Helier and Sutton hospitals have been cut by nearly 50%.
Data released today by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) shows that the number of cases of C. difficile at the Trust was 26 between July and September 2008, compared to 47 during the previous quarter (April to June).
Samantha Jones, Chief Executive, said: "I am extremely pleased with the latest figures from the Health Protection Agency. Infection control is our number one priority and, whilst the number of cases of C. difficile has been dropping for some time, this is the biggest cut we have ever seen.
"Whilst we cannot be complacent, these figures, combined with the 63% cut we announced in MRSA (bacteraemia) recently, show that the hard work of our staff and volunteers is truly paying off. I thank them for all their efforts and continued commitment.
"We know the public are concerned about healthcare acquired infections like C. difficile and MRSA. I hope the Health Protection Agency's figures help reassure them that we are doing all we possibly can to minimise the number of infections at all of our hospitals."
The Trust has introduced a raft of measures in its fight against healthcare acquired infections, including:
-
Increasing the training given to all staff about infection control;
-
Daily monitoring of devices and drips for signs of infection;
-
Extending our MRSA screening programme so that we can detect and treat it quicker;
-
Launching a major awareness campaign targeted at staff, patients and visitors;
-
Undertaking a £300,000 deep clean of our hospitals;
-
Carefully prescribing antibiotics.
