IPSWICH Hospital is failing to meet two of the three core hygiene targets aimed at tackling bugs like MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C-diff), according to a report today.
IPSWICH Hospital is failing to meet two of the three core hygiene targets aimed at tackling bugs like MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C-diff), according to a report today.
A report from the Healthcare Commission has revealed one in four NHS trusts are failing to hit the targets.
It comes after the commission warned that hospitals will be served with "improvement notices" if they fail to tackle bugs.
In today's report, which is based on trusts self-reporting, Ipswich Hospital said it has not met targets for infection control or healthcare environment and hygiene.
It said it could not keep patients, visitors and staff safe with systems to ensure that risk of healthcare acquired infections to patients is reduced.
It also said healthcare services were not being provided in well-designed and well-maintained environments.
However, the hospital - which has recently launched a drive to cut down on infections by reducing visiting hours and investing £400,000 - did meet contamination targets.
Today's figures show that 40per cent of trusts believe they met all core standards in 2006/07 - up from 34pc in 2005/06. Ipswich Hospital said it is meeting all the other core standards.
But the picture relating to hygiene was poor nationally, with 56 trusts (14pc) saying they had not met the decontamination targets, 55 trusts (14pc) not meeting infections control targets and 43 trusts (11pc) failing to meet the healthcare environment target.
Four trusts did not meet any of the three standards relating to hygiene. These were the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, Sheffield Primary Care Trust, Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust and Wiltshire Primary Care Trust.
West Suffolk Hospital met all the targets.
The latest figures revealed by Ipswich Hospital, which said tackling infections is its number one clinical priority, revealed there were 51 cases of MRSA in 2006/07.
There were 496 cases of C-diff and 116 cases of the winter vomiting bug norovirus. There has been a significant reduction in the numbers of all three bugs since April this year.
No-one from Ipswich Hospital was available for comment today.
N Do you think enough is being done at Ipswich Hospital to crackdown on infections? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
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