HOSPITALS in Worcestershire have reported a fall in the superbug MRSA but a rise in cases of C.diff.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Worcestershire Royal, the Alexandra in Redditch and Kidderminster hospitals, reported eight bloodstream infections of MRSA in October, November and December compared to nine in the previous quarter (July to September).

The trust reported only one case in December and one case in January.

The figures mirror the national situation - the Health Protection Agency reported 1,072 MRSA cases in England between July and September last year, down 18 per cent from the same quarter the previous year when there were 1,304 cases.

The trust reported 47 cases of C.diff - clostridium difficile - but a spokesman for the trust said this was not surprising as it was peak season for this type of bug.

The spokesman said it was impossible to give year-on-year comparisons for C.diff because of changes in the way the infection is reported.

Speakers have now been installed across the three main hospitals to remind people entering wards to wash their hands.

Work is also underway on the £1m deep clean of the hospitals, due to finish in March, to meet Government standards.

The deep clean, which includes pulling beds apart and scrubbing them, will also take part in the five community hospitals managed by Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, including Malvern, Evesham and Pershore.

Matrons from the acute trust will be driving forward the next initiative for cleaner hospitals - Think Clean day on Thursday, February 28.

They will be in the foyers of the main Worcestershire hospitals to talk to visitors and relatives about the importance of hygiene.