C. difficile cases 'rise by 72%'

C. difficile cases 'rise by 72%'

The number of death certificates in England and Wales mentioning the hospital superbug C. difficile rose by 72% between 2005 and 2006, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The research found that C. difficile was mentioned on 6,480 death certificates in 2006, compared with 3,757 in 2005.

The rate for deaths involving C. difficile in men increased from 37 per million population in 2005 to 65 million in 2006, while the rate of deaths in women increased from 39 to 64 per million population.

More positively, the ONS said the number of death certificates mentioning MRSA stabilised at 1,652 in 2006. This followed a dramatic increase from 51 to 1,649 deaths between 1993 and 2005.

Norman Lamb, Liberal Democrat shadow health secretary, said: "People have been dying in increasing numbers for years, yet the government did nothing. Now ministers have promised measures that are untested and have been dismissed by experts as gimmicks."

The figures came as the government announced a "step change" in cleaning services. NHS chief executive David Nicholson set out plans to improve cleanliness in hospitals by ensuring new national minimum standards are met and publish MRSA rates for every hospital on the NHS Choices website.

Health minister Ann Keen said: "As a result of the deep clean programme we are already seeing a real and noticeable improvement in the cleanliness of the whole NHS estate. We will sustain and build on this improvement as part of routine cleaning across the NHS but we also know we need services which are better able to respond to nurse and patient concerns when they are raised at the ward level."

Health Insurance and Protection - 29 February 2008