LOCAL hospitals have a new weapon in the fight against super-bugs.

North Bristol NHS Trust, this week became the first in the country to appoint a clinical matron to help eradicate infections such as C. difficile and MRSA.

Kathryn Patrick, 48, who has been in nursing 29 years, has taken on the role of leading the domestic services team in the Trust in an attempt to help reduce the number of infections.

Simon Wood, director of facilities for the North Bristol NHS Trust, said: "The appointment of Kathryn, a nurse and matron, is a key part of these improvements and one I think the public will identify with.

"We expect her role to provide a very visible and effective bridge between the clinicians, cleaners and indeed our patients, ensuring that everyone gets what they want and need from the domestic team."

Mrs Patrick moves from Monmouthshire where she worked for the Local Health Board as practitioner for nursing.

She said: "I am really looking forward to my role and one of my first aims is to raise the profile of the domestic team throughout the Trust.

"Every one who works in the Trust has an important job to do and the cleaning team have a fundamental part to play in helping to ensure that patients can expect clean surroundings when they access any of our services in hospital and the community, and in this respect the domestic team can play their part in helping to combat health care associated infections.

"Being a clinician myself, I understand where other clinicians are coming from and what their needs and expectations are from the domestic team and I will be working hard to strengthen this relationship."

Mrs Patrick will be based at Frenchay Hospital, the North Bristol NHS Trust’s headquarters.