Giving hospitals three more months to tackle MRSA is 'admission of failure'

12 April 2012

The government has been accused of a 'stunt' over MRSA infection

Giving hospitals an extra three months to halve their rates of MRSA infection is an admission of failure by the Government, say campaigners.

A target of March this year was set in 2004 but ministers recently moved that to the end of June, taking in a widely publicised "deep clean" operation.

Firms hired to carry out the hygiene blitz also warn that it is no more than a publicity stunt which will fail to halt the spread of MRSA or bugs such as Clostridium difficile.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said the original deadline was "clearly March of this year" but added: "The moving of goalposts by the Government is all too familiar."

Andrew Large, of the Cleaning and Support Services Association, warned more money was needed.

"Without further investment in time or more equipment things will slip back to the way they were and we will be no better off," he said.

Saturday's Daily Mail reported that two out of three hospitals had not completed their "deep clean" just 48 hours before today's deadline.

Fifteen trusts admitted the will miss the new deadline - and one doesn't expect to finish until October.

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