IPSWICH Hospital has today been named as one of the top offenders for the hospital superbug Clostridium difficile (C-diff).

IPSWICH Hospital has today been named as one of the top offenders when it comes to the hospital superbug Clostridium difficile (C-diff).

New figures from the Health Protection Agency have revealed the highest ever number of cases in over 65s across the country last year - with 483 at Ipswich Hospital.

The Heath Road hospital is the 31st worst ranked trust, out of 166. West Suffolk Hospital had 388 cases, making it the 61st worst.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: “In the last year, Labour have cut 6,000 nursing jobs. It is little wonder we have seen such a rise in C-diff infections. These figures are just the tip of the iceberg, because they do not even include the huge number of infections in people aged under 65.

“In cutting one in every 20 NHS beds in the last two years, Labour have forced bed occupancy rates up to dangerously high levels. The government has badly let down NHS staff and the patients they care for.”

Jan Rowsell, Ipswich Hospital spokeswoman, said: “Reducing the number of infections in the hospital and preventing them wherever we can is our number one clinical priority,

“We have a way to go but have a number of systems in place as we want to be at the bottom of the list, with the fewest number.”

The figures are only for cases in those aged 65 or older as figures for younger people have not yet been collected.

Nationally, last year there were 55,681 C-diff infections in the over 65s in 2006 - an increase in 8per cent on 2005 and almost 12,000 higher than in 2004.

The worst trust was the University Hospitals of Leicester where there were 1920 cases.

N Is enough being done at Ipswich Hospital to reduce infection rates? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk