Hospital celebrates being superbug free

Clostridium difficle, or C.diff, is a bacteria that can cause diarrhoea and can spread easily in healthcare environments.

Thirteen wards at Scunthorpe hospital, 15 at the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital and two at Goole have received infection control awards in recognition of their wards staying free of the bug for two years.

Each ward was also presented with a tin of chocolates from the infection control team for their efforts.

Viv Duncanson, lead infection control nurse for the Trust, said: “Infection prevention is something we take very seriously as a Trust and our rates of hospital acquired C.diff have been steadily decreasing; in fact they’ve almost halved in the last three years*.

“Our staff have achieved this through being vigilant with antibiotic prescribing and keeping the ward environment clean. It’s a real team effort across all grades of staff from doctors and nurses to cleaners and the administrative members of the team.”

Visitors can also help prevent outbreaks by washing their hands with soap and water before and after they visit the ward and especially after using the toilet or eating. They should also avoid visiting if they are feeling unwell or have recently had diarrhoea.

*In 2010/11 there were 43 cases across the three hospitals, in 2013/14 there were 24.