Pounds 3.5M ON ADVISERS AS C.DIFF RAN RIOT ; Funding Fury As 2nd Superbug Boss Quits

Oct 16, 04:33 PM

Current Headlines: By OONAGH BLACKMAN

HOSPITAL bosses blew millions on management consultants - as nurses were cut back and hundreds of patients were killed by a superbug.

They ran up a pounds 3.5million bill on advisers while hospitals became filthier and patients died of clostridium difficile.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said sorry to distraught families yesterday as James Lee resigned as chairman of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.

Mr Johnson said there would be an investigation into the role of Mr Lee and former chief executive Rose Gibb - who has already quit - in the scandal.

Last week Mr Johnson blocked her pounds 250,000 payoff. He told MPs the report into the outbreaks was "truly shocking" and said management failures were "awful."

He added: "On behalf of the Government and the NHS, I apologise to all those personally and directly affected

"We must all shoulder our share of the blame."

Mr Johnson denied the appalling lack of hygiene in the hospitals was because staff were diverted on government targets.

The Healthcare Commission report found that 1,176 patients were infected with C difficile - of whom 345 died - during two outbreaks between April 2004 and September 2006.

It said C difficile was probably or definitely the main cause of death in 90 cases.

The Health Emergency pressure group last night demanded an investigation into the decision to splash out on consultants and not frontline staff and cleanliness as the trust battled to control a pounds 16million deficit.

The group's spokesman Geoff Martin said: "The money would have been enough to put more than 100 extra nurses and support staff on to the filthy wards. That may have been enough to prevent the chaos that led to dozens of deaths."

The trust said the consultancy fees were "unavoidable" as it needed advice on a major private finance initiative to improve its buildings. It insisted none of the fees came from its patient care budget.

Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said the problem was wider and that too many staff did not understand they have to use soap and water for hand-washing.

The Government said cutting hospital acquired infections should be a priority with the aim of reducing C difficile by 30 per cent by 2011.

o.blackman@mirror.co.uk

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