Staff praised as C. Difficile infections continue to fall

Published: 15 January 2009

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today welcomed the figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) showing that C. Difficile infections are continuing to fall. The figures showed that there were 33% fewer cases in the period from July to September 2008 than in the average quarter of the previous year.

Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, said:

“I’m very pleased that the hard work and dedication of healthcare staff in tackling C.difficile is paying off in significantly reduced infection rates and increased patient safety. We know that this is one of the prime areas of concern for patients, and I am pleased to see that significant progress is being made.
“The innovation and leadership of nurses has been central to driving down infection rates, and improving the quality of care for all patients. However, these figures do show that there is considerable room for improvement in some trusts, and nurses need to be given the necessary authority and resources to ensure that infection rates continue to fall.”
Ends

Notes for Editors

The report from the HPA can be found at http://www.hpa.org.uk/

For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.