C.diff study grant for bug trust

The Health Commission report said the trust had made "huge strides"

A Kent NHS trust where 90 people died during an outbreak of Clostridium difficile has been awarded £160,000 for research into the illness.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust applied to the Health Protection Agency for the grant to help find the fastest way to treat the disease.

The deaths occurred as a result of two outbreaks of C.diff at the trust in 2006 and 2007.

The Health Commission found dirty wards had contributed to the outbreaks.

C.diff is an intestinal infection which mainly affects elderly patients.

The two-year research programme will look at the potential impact C.diff is likely to have patients of different ages and with different illnesses.

'Infection controls'

Dr Sara Mumford, director of infection, prevention and control, said: "The overall aim is to provide clinicians with the information they need to treat patients as early as possible, to help put infection control measures in place as soon as possible and to target patients who are likely to become ill with more intensive monitoring and treatment early on.

"Our hope is that we will be able to find a way of not only pinpointing the disease, but also predicting the severity of the illness so that patients can receive the very best treatment as possible."

The trust's chief executive, Rose Gibb, resigned in 2007 by mutual agreement with the trust over the scandal.

No charges were brought by Kent Police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which investigated the possibility of prosecuting staff.

On Friday the Healthcare Commission said the trust had made "huge strides" in infection control and had reported its lowest rate of C. diff in three years over the period January to March 2008.