IPSWICH Hospital is lagging behind the rest of the country when it comes to fighting superbug Clostridium difficile (C-diff), figures have revealed.

IPSWICH Hospital is lagging behind the rest of the country when it comes to fighting superbug Clostridium difficile (C-diff), figures have revealed.

Data from the Health Protection Agency on hospital acquired infections show that nationally the number of cases of C-diff in hospitals had fallen between April 2006 and June this year.

However, at Ipswich Hospital the number of cases rose in the same period.

The figures showed that nationally between April and June this year there were 13,660 C-diff cases in patients above the age of 65, compared with 14,682 cases between April and June 2006.

But at the Heath Road hospital 126 over 65s contracted the infection between April and June this year, more than ten per cent more than the 114 who were infected between April and June 2006.

Staff at Ipswich Hospital have already reduced visiting hours, started a deep-cleaning programme and launched a major hand-washing campaign after failing to meet government targets for reducing C-diff.

And recently an anti-superbug isolation ward was opened specifically to care for patients with C-diff as part of its battle against infections.

Jan Rowsell, hospital spokeswoman, said: “We are very pleased to be completely on track as far as MRSA infections are concerned.

“We've just put in place a whole range of measures to fight back against C-diff including opening an isolation ward.

“Our latest figures show that C-diff is actually coming down, but the last thing we are is complacent.”

n Does more need to be done to tackle C-diff at Ipswich Hospital? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk