UK NEWS

HUNDREDS OF HOSPITALS FAIL TO HIT HYGIENE TARGET

Failing: NHS Hospitals

Thursday October 18,2007

By Victoria Fletcher Health Editor

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MORE than one in four NHS trusts is failing to hit targets for hygiene and cleanliness, according to an official report.

Despite soaring rates of killer bugs such as Clostridium difficile, standards for hand washing, ward cleanliness and isolating sick patients are not being met.

A report by the NHS watchdog the Healthcare Commission found that 111 of Britain’s 394 trusts failed to meet at least one core standard on infection control.

Regrettably too many older people are contracting potentially devastating illnesses

Of these, 44 were hospital trusts, 58 were Primary Care Trusts, six mental health trusts and three were ambulance trusts. Elderly patients are particularly vulnerable to the C.difficile bug and Government handling of the crisis shows the appalling plight of old folk in Britain today.

The Daily Express has launched its Respect For The Elderly crusade to draw attention to the plight of senior citizens in our society. Although the Healthcare Commission’s report relied on trusts evaluating their own performance, spot checks revealed that a small number had claimed to have hit targets on infection control when they had not.

The news comes just one week after a separate investigation by the commission revealed the deaths of 90 patients in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust were linked to the C.difficile bug.

Yesterday, the commission advised patients not to feel uneasy if their local hospital had failed to hit all of its hygiene targets, but it said it would not hesitate to take action against trusts that put patients at risk.

Anna Walker, the commission’s chief executive, said: “We will go in and visit any trust where we think the risk of patients getting an infection is high.” But charities representing elderly patients said this was not good enough.

Paul Cann of Help the Aged, said: “People go into hospitals to get better. Regrettably too many older people are contracting potentially devastating illnesses while on the ward.” Figures on infection control formed part of a larger league table of the best and worst performing NHS trusts in the country.

They were assessed on both their use of money and the patient services they provide, including waiting times, the number of cancelled operations and choices offered to patients. Trusts were rated as excellent, good, fair or poor.

This year, 19 trusts managed to score excellent in both categories compared to only two last year. Five per cent more trusts scored excellent or good, while six per cent fewer scored either fair or weak on quality of services.

However, 20 scored weak on both financial performance and quality of services, with two trusts achieving this double-failure for a second year running.

Last night, there was mixed reaction to the league tables. Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “Despite extra funding, the NHS still faces significant difficulties such as the failure to reduce MRSA and to meet core standards on infection control.”

Niall Dickson, of medical think tank The King’s Fund, said: “It shows that overall some improvement has been made which has to be good news. But if we are to create a first-class health system this trend will have to be built on and indeed accelerated.”

CLICK HERE NOW to learn more about our Respect For The Elderly Crusade - and to find out how you can help!

THERE MAY BE AN EASY ANSWER

18.10.07, 11:05am

Lets us all have our operations and treatments in the offices and boardrooms.
I bet they are a lot bloody cleaner!

Never mind bring back Matron, bring back Sister...

BRING BACK THE BLOODY WORKHORSES.. THE S.E.N
AND THE ALLOCATED WARD CLEANER!

• Posted by: JackDoff • Report Comment

DISGUSTING

18.10.07, 6:56am

Our hospitals are in a disgusting state. i took my 8 month pregnant daughter to our A&E and we were in the examination room where there was used swabs, needles and blood all over the floor, when my partner made a comment about it to the nurse, the answer we got was "its usually like this as there is no cleaners available to do it". where has all our taxes etc gone? this is a hospital for the people to get treated not to catch some disgusting germ that might kill us. this government want shooting, they fill their greedy pockets with our cash and just leave us to die.
I HOPE YOU ALL CATCH THE GERMS IN THESE HOSPITALS AND SUFFER A LONG AND LINGERING DEATH!

• Posted by: seaqueenuk • Report Comment