Scottish health minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned against complacency after Tayside and Fife recorded a significant decrease in the number of people with the potentially fatal Clostridium difficile infection.
However, the encouraging figures come at a time when NHS Tayside is fighting a fatal outbreak of C. diff at Perth Royal Infirmary — a situation highlighted by Ms Sturgeon — and cover the period last year when five elderly people died during an outbreak in ward 31 at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee.
A new report showed that C. diff infection fell across Scotland last year, down from 6322 in 2008 to 3625. In Fife the figures for people aged over 65 plummeted from 391 cases in 2008 to 128 last year. In the same age group, Tayside recorded a drop from 524 to 389.
Ms Sturgeon drew attention to the current situation at PRI when giving a cautious welcome to the statistics.”Patients can be reassured that we are continuing to see significant falls in the numbers of C. diff cases, which should help to build confidence in the standards being applied across Scottish hospitals,” said Ms Sturgeon.
“When it comes to hospital infections we may be winning the battle, however, as the outbreak earlier this week at Perth Royal Infirmary reminded us, we have not yet won the war.
“This Scottish Government has overseen a 62% reduction in the number of C. diff cases since 2007 but everyone must remain vigilant to ensure that case numbers continue to fall.”
The report published by Health Protection Scotland also showed that in the last three months of last year, there was a significant drop in the number of elderly people with C. diff infection in Tayside compared to the previous quarter.
During the final quarter, when Ninewells Hospital was battling to control the fatal outbreak in ward 31, there was an improvement in the number of elderly people testing positive for the infection — down from 103 the previous quarter to 61 in the final quarter.
NHS Tayside welcomed the improved position, but also avoided complacency.
“We welcome the reduction in the numbers and rate of Clostridium difficile infection over the past year, but can never be complacent with any healthcare associated infection in our hospitals,” said a spokeswoman.
“We are particularly encouraged by the reduction in the last quarter of 2009 and are working hard to make sure we can continue with this downward trend.”