Superbug deaths trust 'improved'

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An NHS trust that was caught up in a superbug scandal has made "substantial improvements", a health watchdog has said.

The Healthcare Commission said further work was needed at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust in Kent but commended staff for their progress.

Ninety people died as a result of two outbreaks of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) at the trust in 2006 and 2007.

In 2007 the Commission found dirty wards had contributed to the outbreaks.

In a report at the time it also blamed low staffing levels and uncovered evidence that staff left patients to lie in their own excrement.

The trust's chief executive, Rose Gibb, resigned by mutual agreement with the trust over the scandal.

This is a very different trust to the one we investigated in 2007 Nigel Ellis, head of investigations at the Healthcare Commission

No charges were brought by Kent Police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which investigated the possibility of prosecuting staff.

The Healthcare Commission said the trust had made "huge strides" in infection control and had reported its lowest rate of C. diff in three years over the period January to March 2008.

A spot check in October by inspectors still found breaches of the hygiene code, the most serious of which related to the decontamination of equipment in the endoscopy unit.

But this problem had been rectified by the time of another visit a month later, the Commission said.

The trust has brought in many new board directors and "infection control is a consistent item at the top of the board's agenda," the Commission said.

The Commission said there was still progress to be made, including on how the trust learns from complaints and incidents and the recruitment of more nurses.

'Further improvement'

The Healthcare Commission's head of investigations Nigel Ellis said: "This is a very different trust to the one we investigated in 2007.

"It was never going to be easy to turn things around in just 12 months and indeed, there is still some way to go."

He added: "Staff at every level have put in considerable effort to make these improvements and should be recognised for their hard work.

"However now is not the time for the trust to relax. The trust's infection control systems still need further improvement."

NHS South East Coast, the regional headquarters of the NHS, welcomed the findings.

Chief executive Candy Morris said:"NHS South East Coast is continuing to work closely with the trust to ensure that they deliver the additional improvements necessary to enable hospital staff to provide safe and high quality care to patients both now and in the future.

"Across the region we have adopted a zero-tolerance approach to all hospital acquired infections. "