HOSPITAL bosses are celebrating success in fighting an infection which causes severe sickness and diarrhoea.
The George Eliot Hospital has managed to come under a Department of Health imposed target to have 40 or less cases of Clostridium difficile (C diff ) throughout the last financial year.
There had been fears that the Nuneaton NHS Trust would exceed the limit and incur fines from the Strategic Health Authority as a new screening method had caused a surge in patients apparently affected.
At a meeting of the hospital's Trust Board, director of nursing Dawn Wardell revealed the good news.
“I am pleased to tell everyone that we have come out two below the trajectory, so we’re at 38, when the maximum is 40,” she said.
Emphasising that the forthcoming year would be tough, Mrs Wardell also revealed the new target for 2012/13 had been reduced substantially.
“The new target is 27, although having any cases is not what we want," she added.
Welcoming the positive result, chairman of the Board Stuart Annan took the opportunity to thank the staff who play a key role in ensuring challenges, such as beating infections, are met.
Mr Annan said: “Infection work has been sustained. On the whole we’ve seen some very good positives.
“We have got some strong ward sisters, matrons and heads of nursing championing the cause.”
The Trust introduced a new way of screening for C diff in October of last year designed to improve detection rates of the bacteria associated with the infection.
Dual testing is recognised as a step forward because it is more accurate and better identifies patients who have it, ensuring they receive the correct treatment and management of care.
In the short term however it led to a rise in the number of suspected cases being reported.
