English trusts fail to follow guidance on infection control

More than a third of NHS trusts in England are not routinely following government guidelines on the management of Clostridium difficile in their hospitals, an interim report issued jointly by the Healthcare Commission and the Health Protection Agency has found.

A fuller report is due in the spring, but some results were published early as winter is the peak season for C difficile infection. A mandatory surveillance scheme, which has been operational since last year, has identified 44 488 cases of C difficile in over 65 year olds in England in 2004. There is no obligation to report cases in younger patients.

C difficile generally causes diarrhoea, but, in severe …