Jenny Booth
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The hospitals which recorded the highest number of deaths involving MRSA or Clostridium difficile infections - which have been linked to poor hygiene - were named for the first time today.
The Office for National Statistics published a list based on the cause of death mentioned on death certificates issued in the four years from 2002 - 06. The list does not constitute a league table, as it records only the number of deaths, not the death rate compared to the number of patients treated overall.
At the top comes the Royal United Hospital in Bath, where 268 people died who had either C diff or MRSA recorded on their death certificate - more than 3 per cent of deaths at the hospital at the time.
The George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton lost 235 patients to the C diff infection which, again, represents more than 3 per cent of deaths at the hospital.
Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry recorded 233 deaths involving C diff, the Royal Infirmary in Leicester recorded 203 deaths involving C diff, and Kettering General Hospital recorded 200 deaths from the bug.
The table confirms that C diff is a bigger killer than MRSA, despite receiving less publicity. Derriford Hospital in Plymouth recorded the highest number of deaths involving MRSA, with 94.
Next came Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth with 81, Maelor Hospital in Wrexham with 79, Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton with 77 and The Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton with 75.
The ONS warned that the figures for total deaths might not indicate high death rates because they do not take into account the number of patients treated. Bigger hospitals which treat more patients would expect to have more deaths from the bugs, it said.
Some 218 institutions are included in the figures - 217 hospitals and one hospice - where more than 2,500 people died from any cause.
They do not represent all deaths from C diff or MRSA but show only that it was mentioned on the death certificate, the ONS cautioned. Nor do they show where the infection was picked up.
In a separate development, Lincoln County Hospital admitted that 30 cardboard cutout nurses placed in its foyer which had been programmed to remind visitors to wash their hands had been vandalised, allegedly in order to play the theme tune from Mission Impossible. One had been set to shout 'Boo!' at visitors, according to reports.
"We are obviously very disappointed that this has been done and that those responsible don’t take infection control and prevention as seriously as we do,” said a spokeswoman for the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, in a statement.

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I think the staff are too lax about the number of visitors visiting a patient , at one time only two at a time was allowed , but when I was in I noticed asian families came round there bed the whole family came in and nothing was said even though on a notice it stated only two allowed
margaret lee, Nottingham, nottinghamshire
Why not check for correlations between, say:
1. ((C. Diff + MRSA) / Total patients) vs. no of cleaners /total staff
2. ((C. Diff + MRSA) / Total patients) vs. no of administrators /total staff
3. 1. ((C. Diff + MRSA) / Total patients) vs. no of graduates from Common Purpose /total staff
Chris, London,
Smokers with amputated legs will get MRSA infections at their stumps and eventually die with or without sepsis.
Bedridden elderly people with gross heart failure will die from watery diarrhoea caused by C. difficile or one week later.
That´s the reality and LIFE !!!
niels holgerson, dundee,
I blame smokers and the BNP
Cromwell, Leeds, England
Katie, hospitals ARE allowed to discharge patients with MRSA / C.Diff. As a Doctor I know this to be the case; there are not the beds to make sure everyone is clear.
Admission screening is also done as most also come into hospital with MRSA.
Is it the cause of death, or merely mentioned in part 2?
Richard, London, England
Having just sprung my 94 year old grandfather out of the RUH, I'm not at all surprised. The ward smelled appalling, the heat was intolerable, and they placed a disposal urinal on the table where they put his food! Personal care for patientsis non-existent. He's doing fine now with TLC at home.
Eve, Frome,
Let us bear in mind that the majority of MRSA infections are community acquired - what we really should be doing is enforcing infection control on visitors and increasing the number of isolation rooms... no wait, that would be sensible.
Matthew, London,
Kate (Medical Student) will probably learn the hard way, that hospitals will do all kinds of things that they 'aren't allowed' to do.
Janet, Bath, UK
A new product Silver Dihydrogen Citrate (SDC) kills all superbugs, has residual kill of 24 hours and has no toxicity. FDA approved in the US and now available in Europe as well SDC is the first new antimicrobal to be patented in 30 years. It is available to kill superbugs.
Rick , Atlanta, USA
Interesting the fact that there is no attempt to verify how many of the nurses, cleaners, etc.. are recent immigrants from countries where MRSA and this other superbug C diff tend to be commonplace. I believe if those statistics are examined you will find a big explanation for the widespread problem
Marie, Boston, MA, US
The RUH is my local hospital and is frankly a scandal. Complacent consultants who believe that their patients are unworthy of them. It is frankly the embarressment of the West Country and should be shut down as they lack the will to improve or to acknowledge they could do better.
angus, bath,
Katie - governments are not allowed to enforce regime change. Unless our own, of course.
Richard, Holt, UK
Katie,hospitals do discharge people with c.diff.My friends mother was discharged but not informed she had c.diff and subsequently re admitted and died eight weeks later.The hospital were aware of the c.diff but blamed it on the fact that she was discharged on a weekend,communication breakdown.
Mike, Peterborough, Cambs.
This report is totally misleading and inaccurate. There is no obligation on doctors to put the causative organism on the death certificate. Practice will vary from hospital to hospital; perversly hospitals with good procedures and identification rates will come out worst according to this report.
Dr J Ward, Burntwood, Staffs
There are vaccines on the way for both C Diff and MRSA, but in the meantime it would help if nurses washed their hands more often.
Frank Upton, Solihull,
A conspiracy theorist may conclude that the government have introduced the super bugs to relieve the pension burden .
I couldn't possibly comment.
Nick Dixon, Sutton Coldfield, England
Brian, hospitals aren't allowed to discharge people with c.diff/MRSA
Katie
(Medical Student)
KR, Liverpool,
Don't forget the huge numbers of elderly who are discharged into Nursing Homes as the inevitable approaches, so that the death is not in hospital.
Brian, Hudds, UK
Well they've got to get the waiting lists down somehow haven't they?
It's worse than 1930s Germany and getting rid of 'undesirables'.
Bry Barnes, Somerset, Uk