Hospital bug deaths on the rise

Public sector union Unison has blamed a rise in the number of deaths linked to the hospital bug Clostridium difficile on the lack of "safe minimum staffing levels" for cleaning services, according to the BBC.

Deaths involving the C. difficile bacterium rose by 69% to 3,800 from 2004-05, Office for National Statistics figures have shown, while MRSA mentions on certificates increased by 39% to 1,629 in the same period.

The bacterium forms spores which means it can survive for long periods in the environment, such as on floors and around toilets, and spread in the air.

Rigorous cleaning with warm water and detergent is the most effective means of removing spores from the contaminated environment and the hands of staff, say experts. Efforts to combat MRSA, such as alcohol hand-rubs, have had no impact on C. difficile.

Head of health at Unison, Karen Jennings, said: "These shocking figures show that MRSA and C difficile have a deadly grip on our NHS. Dirt is not cheap.

"We need to wage war on these superbugs and cleaning and cleaners should be on the front line as an integral part of the infection control team."

Health Minister Lord Hunt called tackling the problem a "major challenge for the NHS and a top priority for government."

But spending more on cleaning staff is apparently not so high a priority as splashing £115 million a week on the EU - an organisation that hasn't been able to explain how it's been spending tens of billions of pounds of British contributions to its budget for twelve years in a row.

Is funding the EU really more important than saving some of the 3,800 deaths being caused by, according to Unison, insufficient spending on hospital cleaning?

What possible benefits can be claimed for this when not even auditors can say how the "majority" of EU expenditure is being spent?