King's Winning Fight Against Clostridium Difficile

Figures published today by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show that King's College Hospital has seen a major reduction in the number of cases of Clostridium difficile reported at the Trust.

During the most recent quarter for which figures are available (July to September 2008), there were 35 cases of Clostridium difficile recorded at King's. This is a major reduction on the number of cases reported between April and June 2008, which was 99.

Professor John Moxham, Executive Medical Director and Director of Infection Prevention and Control at King's, said:

"We are delighted that rates of Clostridium difficile are continuing to fall at King's. It is good news for our patients, and is testament to the hard work of staff working across the Trust."

"Key to our success has been proactive measures to reduce cases of Clostridium difficile, such as making sure antibiotics are not over-prescribed. We have also put in place protocols that empower staff to take immediate and decisive action when patients become infected."

"However, we are not complacent and will continue to drive up standards even higher to further reduce the number of cases of Clostridium difficile and other hospital acquired infections at King's."

A raft of additional measures have helped to reduce rates of Clostridium difficile at King's, which include:

- Higher standards of cleaning in hospital wards and patient areas thanks to greater involvement by Modern Matrons in this process;

- Early isolation of patients who develop diarrhoea or other symptoms associated with Clostridium difficile;

- Specialist training for doctors administering intravenous lines (uses to take blood or administer medication), a procedure which can increase the risk of infection;

- A hospital-wide commitment towards infection control, led by the Board of Directors, as well as a dedicated infection control team who work with departments and services to help reduce cases of hospital acquired infections.

For more information, and figures for individual Trusts, log onto http://www.hpa.org.uk/

2. King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's largest and busiest teaching hospitals, with over 6,000 staff providing around 700,000 patient contacts a year. King's has a unique profile, with a full range of local hospital services for people in the London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark as well as specialist services to patients from further afield. The Trust is recognized internationally for its work in liver disease and transplantation, neurosciences, cardiac and haemato-oncology. King's also plays a key role in the training and education of medical, nursing and dental students with its academic partner, King's College London. For more information, visit http://www.kch.nhs.uk

3. King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are working together to create a world-leading Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC). Our AHSC brings together an unrivalled range and depth of clinical and research expertise, spanning both physical and mental health. Our combined strengths will drive improvements in care for patients, allowing them to benefit from breakthroughs in medical science and receive leading edge treatment at the earliest possible opportunity.

King's College London

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