Clostridium Difficile cases on the rise in Britains hospitals

Read more medical negligence related news in the UK.

27th April 2007

This week the Health Protection Agency (HPA) revealed data that showed 55,681 cases of Clostridium Difficile (C'Diff) were reported among over 65s in 2006 - up 8% in a year.

In a direct quote from the press release:

Latest figures from the Health Protection Agency show there were 55,681 cases of Clostridium difficile infection reported in patients aged 65 years and above in England in 2006. This represents an annual increase in reported infections of 8% compared to 2005, when there were 51,767 cases reported. Rates of infection remain high across England , particularly in small acute trusts, and the results show clearly the scope for improvement. This contrasts favourably with the 17% increase in reported cases between 2004 and 2005.

There was however some good news for the NHS because it would seem that reported numbers of MRSA infections are decreasing thanks to initiatives aimed at reducing the spread of the bug.

From a legal perspective it can be very difficult to prove that a trust has been guilty of medical negligence when a patient has contracted either the MRSA or the CDiff bug. Proving a breach of duty can be tough if the hospital are able to show that they have an adequate cleaning regime and there is no identification of the original source of the bug. The hospital will generally comment that the patient may have been carrying the bug before they entered the hospital for treatment.

The claimant legal fraternity will continue to explore avenues to pursue claims for hospital negligence and shall push the agenda to ensure the best possible standards of care are maintained by the NHS in England & Wales.