A Teesside health trust has failed to meet a key target to reduce the number of cases of a potentially life-threatening superbug for the second year running.
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has had 50 reported cases of clostridium difficile (C.Diff) since April last year.
This means the trust, which runs James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, has already exceeded its yearly target of 49 cases with three months still to go.
The previous year also saw the trust missing it’s target of 37 cases - after having a total of 57 recorded cases.
The trust also saw a busy A&E in December with 600 more patients than the previous year.
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s chief executive Professor Tricia Hart said: “We are disappointed to have exceeded our year target (to end March) in cases of Clostridium difficile - the target of no more than 49 cases for 2014-15 was set after many years of significantly reducing the number of incidences of clostridium difficile in our services.
“We know the most effective ways to prevent these infections are by paying continued and sustained attention to antibiotic prescribing, hand-washing, patient isolation and effective environmental cleaning – and we will continue to focus on these areas to tackle this important patient safety concern.”
Professor Hart said the numbers also may be higher due to the recent increase of high bed-occupancy and activity.
C.Diff can cause diarrhoea, a high temperature and painful abdominal cramps but in serious cases can cause life-threatening complications such as severe swelling of the bowel due to a build-up of gas.
Bacteria comes from human faeces and can survive for weeks, and sometimes months, on objects and surfaces.
Professor Hart also praised the A&E staff for coping with the recent A&E pressure.
She said: “As a trust we were extremely busy in December. Six hundred more patients came through our accident and emergency department at James Cook then in the same month a year ago and almost 900 more were seen over the same period at our Resolution heath centre /walk-in centre in North Ormesby, compared to the same month in 2013.
“I am very proud of our accident and emergency staff – and indeed all our staff working across our hospital and community settings – in responding to recent pressures, they’ve really pulled out the stops.”
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