DESPITE millions of pounds worth of cuts the county’s hospital trust is winning the battle against superbugs.

The number of patients infected with hospital superbugs in Gloucestershire has dropped significantly over the last three years according to a recent report.

Between 2011/12 there were 160 cases of C-Diff infections and seven cases of MRSA in hospitals in the county.

These figures are a more than 50 per cent drop from 2008/09 when there were 363 cases of C-Diff and 26 of MRSA in Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and Cheltenham General Hospital.

Both C.Diff and MRSA are more common amongst people in healthcare environments such as hospitals and care homes. C.Diff is an infection of the abdomen that is aggravated by antibiotics and MRSA is an infection resistant to antibiotics.

The figures have been released as part of the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust’s ‘overview’ report, which outlines the trust’s successes and failures over the last year.

The report said: "Moving forward we aim to meet the even greater challenge of cutting D-Diff cases further, to 72 cases, and one case of MRSA.
"We will continue to highlight the importance of hand hygiene to staff, patients and visitors."


The report said the county’s two hospitals had treated more than 750,000 patients in the past year and received only 709 complaints.


However, the report also revealed that the trust had made budget cuts of £18 million and had reduced its workforce by 180, but with only one redundancy.


In its report the trust admitted it would face greater challenges in the future as the population got older.


The report said: "The age range of those aged 65 or over is projected to increase by at least 50 percent.


"Since 2006, admission rates to hospitals have increased, especially
emergency admissions for people aged 85 years and older who often have complex needs.


"There are however a range of factors that will in the same time period
reduce the demand for hospital beds. New technologies and innovations
constantly offer opportunities for less invasive interventions."