COMMUNITY hospitals have had no cases of MRSA infection for more than a year but have been battling other bug outbreaks.

The five community hospitals in Malvern, Pershore, Evesham, Tenbury and Bromsgrove have had no incidents of MRSA since October 2011, more than 14 months ago.

However, there have been nine cases of clostridium difficile since April last year.

This is a bug which causes diarrhoea and stomach cramps and can be fatal in more vulnerable patients.

The trust remain within their cap of 12 cases for the financial year (2012/13), which runs from April 1 last year and ends on April 1 this year.

Trust staff, like those at the acute hospital trust which runs Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester, have also been battling cases of the winter diarrhoea and vomiting bug norovirus. On November 4 the trust had to close Clent ward at Bromsgrove to admissions because some patients developed symptoms.

Two patients were confirmed as having norovirus.

‘Outbreak precautions’ were put in place including bleach cleaning of all toilets in the hospital.

Following a 48-hour period in which patients were free of symptoms the ward was cleaned and had a full curtain change.

The ward was re-opened on November 8.

Sandra Brennan, director of quality at the trust, spoke at a meeting of the trust board.

Mrs Brennan said actions by ward staff and the infection control team in handling norovirus had been exemplary and ward closures kept to a minimum.

Mrs Brennan said if patients came to hospital with c.diff (diagnosed within 48 hours as opposed to after 48 hours) there was little the trust could do.

She said: “Clearly we take all infection control very seriously.

“We always review the situations to see if there is any learning, anything we can do differently.

“We are participating in a health economy wide review of c.diff (all NHS trusts, GPs, commissioners care homes are looking at the issue).

“We have an external assessor coming in.

“That’s taking place next week, to see if there is anything else we should be doing as a whole health economy.”

The review will look at issues such as antibiotic prescribing because antibiotics can cause c.diff.