CLEAN UP YOUR ACT; Daughter demands hygienic hospitals.

Byline: By MARIE LEVY

A WOMAN has hit out at hospitals which she feels have not done enough to clean up their act.

Karen Mahoney, 49, of Middles brought lost her mother, Winifred Burns, 70, of Stockton to what she believes was Clostridium Difficult (C diff) two years ago.

The great grandma died at the University Hospital of North Tees on March 13, two days after she was admitted with abdominal pains.

An inquest recorded a verdict of natural causes but heard that her failing health meant she could not survive the infection she developed.

Last week it was revealed that the number of people recorded as dying from C diff on Teesside has doubled in the last 12 months.

But the North Tees and Hartle pool NHS Foundation Trust said that although the number of cases of C diff mentioned on death certificates increased between 2006 and 2007 - the actual numbers of cases have gone down.

Figures for 2007 show the infection was mentioned on the death certificates of 21 patients at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton compared to nine the previous year.

And at the James Cook University Hospital in Middles rough cases increased from six to nine during the same period.

In some of these cases the deaths may have been caused by other factors, but the patient was also infected with C diff.

"I just have no faith in the medical service," said Karen.

"I had my daughter in there 28 years ago and there was always somebody coming round cleaning at different times of the day.There's none of that now."

She said the ward her mum was on was "filthy".

"There was a bloody handkerchief in the sink and her new slippers got covered in dust.

"I'm shocked at how many people are getting C diff. I had never heard of it before but now you hear about it all the time."

Her brother, Paul Denning, said hospital staff deny that Winifred died of C diff even though it was mentioned at the inquest.

Kate Jopling of Help the Aged said: "It's absolutely outrageous that year on year older people are dying as a result of failure to ensure high levels of hygiene in our hospitals."

Chief executive of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust Alan Foster said: "Although the number of cases of C diff mentioned on death certificates increased between 2006 and 2007 the actual numbers of cases have gone down. Up until the end of July we had 45 cases against the target of 68.

"We remind staff, patients and visitors regularly about hand hygiene and all our staff have hand hygiene training.

"We have also brought in a 'naked below the elbow' policy so staff can wash their hands and wrists effectively and we've provided wash basins and no touch taps at the entrance to wards.

"We have extra cleaning teams with a 24-hour cleaning service to wards.

"We know some antibiotics can put vulnerable patients at increased risk of C diff so we have reviewed our antibiotic policy to minimize this risk as far as humanly possible."

CAPTION(S):

ANGRY: Karen Mahoney with brother Paul Denning, left, who are demanding cleaner wards after the death of their mother Winifred Burns, above