Link: Medical Net.
The NHS Trust Stoke Mandeville Hospital, which is presently at the centre of a superbug scandal, was given the lowest infection-control rating in a recent set of NHS performance indicators.
The Healthcare Commission said in its report that the trust’s record on preventing the spread of bugs such as Clostridium difficile was "poor" and significantly below what was expected.
The Buckingham-shire hospital, despite having a world-famous reputation for its spinal unit at Stoke Mandeville, was awarded just one star in last year’s performance ratings by the Healthcare Commission.
The ratings give NHS trusts between zero and three stars, based on a series of indicators such as infection control, waiting times and death rates.
Infection control is assessed on compliance with national standards and levels of controlling bugs picked up while patients are in hospital.
The Buckinghamshire Hospitals Trust was only given a "one" rating for infection control, the lowest possible mark, and out of 177 other acute NHS trusts only 17 were given a similar score, with the majority being rated as acceptable or good.
