Hospitals are failing to test for a potentially fatal stomach bug which affects thousands of people a year, research reveals.
Clostridioides difficile – known as C. diff – is the leading cause of hospital-acquired diarrhoea and can be life-threatening for older patients.
Its spores are highly resistant to heat and many disinfectants, making them easily transmissible in hospitals.
However, a survey of more than 1,000 NHS staff found that nearly 80 per cent of them did not know the hygiene steps they needed to take to protect patients from it.
As a result, one in five members of staff said that they did not routinely test for C. diff if a patient develops diarrhoea in hospital, according to the research by Tillotts Pharma UK.
There are about 18,000 C. diff infections in the UK every year, the majority of which happen in hospitals and care homes.
Roughly one in seven of these will be deadly as it triggers peritonitis, a life-threatening infection of the abdomen’s inner lining.
NHS data shows there is also a stark difference in rates of infection across the country – in Wales and the North West there are twice as many infections per 100,000 compared with London.
One in five members of staff said that they did not routinely test for C. diff if a patient develops diarrhoea in hospital, according to the research by Tillotts Pharma UK (file photo)
There are about 18,000 C. diff infections in the UK every year, the majority of which happen in hospitals and care homes (file photo)
‘The key to treating C. diff is getting a diagnosis with the right test,’ says Dr Jane Freeman, secretary of the C. diff Trust and an Associate Prof in Clinical Microbiology. ‘That relies on our healthcare professionals knowing the risk factors and making sure the patient is tested.
‘We need to make sure that our healthcare professionals have the right skills and awareness of C. diff, and that the NHS has the right systems and guidance in place to ensure that patients get the tests they need at the right time wherever they are.’
She also warns that failing to tackle infections can have long-term consequences for many patients.
‘Having C. diff can delay the treatments they need for those other conditions until they get better. C. diff comes back in about 25 to 30 per cent of people, which leaves many patients worried about whether their recovery will last and fearing every tummy twinge,’ adds Dr Freeman.
