Tough target to halve cases of hospital superbugs

Published on Tuesday 22 June 2010 19:38

HOSPITALS in Scotland have been handed a tougher target to cut cases of the killer infection Clostridium difficile in half by next year.

• Nicola Sturgeon announced the use of new technology throughout Scotland to tackle cases of Clostridium difficile. Picture: Ian Rutherford

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said boards would have to reduce rates of the bug by at least 50 per cent among over-65s by the end of March 2011.

It replaces a previous target of 30 per cent which has already been exceeded by hospitals.

Ms Sturgeon yesterday also announced further measures to tackle hospital superbugs with a new bed management IT system being rolled out in Scotland.

The announcement came during a visit to St John's Hospital in Livingston, which is among those who have been testing the new system, which tracks patients as they move around the hospital to limit the spread of infections.

A target was previously set to reduce cases of C difficile by 30 per cent from the 6,516 cases seen in Scotland in 2007-8.

But figures for January to December 2009 showed that the total had already been cut to 3,625 – down 44 per cent.

The new figure means that the total number of cases for the year 2010-11 should be less than 3,258.

The Scottish Government said all boards were on track to meet the target.

Ms Sturgeon said: "Building on the success we have already achieved, all boards will now have a more challenging C difficile target to meet, as we bid to halve infection rates by next March. This tough target will stretch health boards, but I believe it is achievable.

"Reducing the misery caused by C difficile justifies the effort."

The bed management IT systems have been piloted in Lothian, Fife, Tayside and Grampian. It means that hospital staff can better manage where in hospital patients are cared for.

Ms Sturgeon said: "Successful pilots have shown that improvements to infection control and bed management IT systems can help manage the fight against infection, and these improvements will be rolled out across Scotland."

The roll-out of the IT systems by the end of the year follows suggestion made by the Conservatives during last year's budget negotiations.

Yesterday, they welcomed the announcement.

Health spokesman Murdo Fraser said: "An electronic bed management system, which was previously successfully piloted at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, is an ideal way of monitoring infection trends on a bed by bed basis and could make an enormous difference in the fight against hospital acquired infection."

Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said yesterday that the SNP's new target on C diff was two years overdue and again highlighted proposed SNP cuts to nursing staff.

Ms Baillie said: "The SNP's action on C diff and other hospital acquired infections is two years overdue. Every family should have the right to know that when someone they love goes into hospital they are treated in clean and safe conditions.

"Nicola Sturgeon promised to learn lessons after the outbreak at the Vale of Leven, but two years on, we still see people dying needlessly from C difficile."