TWO NHS hospitals on The Herald's doorstep have been named and shamed with contamination levels of deadly bug Clostridium Difficile in excess of those at the much-maligned Maidstone and Tonbridge Wells Trust. Both Frimley Park and Guildford's Royal Surrey County Hospital feature in the worst seven hospitals nationwide for the lethal virus, which caused the deaths of 90 patients in Kent. Latest figures depict a national average of 2.39 infections per 1,000 bed days for patients 65 and over, but patients at Frimley Park are exposed to a shameful 4.91, while the Royal Surrey notches an unsanitary 4.48. The Maidstone and Tonbridge Wells Trust measures 3.69. Local MP Jeremy Hunt immediately went on the offensive, writing to chief executives of both hospitals after seeing figures in Sunday's News of the World. A prompt response came from Nick Moberly, chief executive of the Royal Surrey: "The data which has been used is the annualised 2006 data which was released early in 2007 and was widely reported at that time. This data is C Diff cases, not deaths," he said. "In 2006, we noticed and declared an outbreak in July. This was on a surgical ward and, at the time, was felt to be related to the very complex gastric surgery we do here. It was this peak that put our 2006 average up. "When we declared the outbreak, we worked very hard to improve the situation, the most important move was to implement a strict antibiotic prescribing policy as well as reinforcing hand hygiene and cleaning measures," he added. A statement from the hospital also read: "The current rate of C. Diff infection at the Royal Surrey County Hospital is 1.17 per 1,000 bed days, well below our target for the hospital which is 3.4 per 1,000 bed days. "Following the outbreak which the trust declared in July 2006, when the rate for that month rose to 5.02 per 1,000 bed days, infection control measures were reviewed and the number of infections decreased significantly and have been well managed since then (Continued on page 2)
