HOSPITALS in the county could have to fund superbug treatment, taking cash away from other services.

Bosses at Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust, which pays Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal hospitals for treating patients, are keen to introduce the measure to bring down rates of MRSA.

The “fines” could run into tens of thousands of pounds.

The PCT's punitive proposal is part of a raft of measures designed to stamp out superbugs.

In 2007-08 the number of MRSA cases at Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General hospitals fell to 36 from 68 the previous year.

Numbers of Clostridium Difficile (C.diff) infections in patients over the age of 65 fell from 1,058 in 2006 to 775 in 2007.

Total infection rates in younger patients have also dropped during the past six months.

The PCT wants to cut rates of C.diff by 30% by 2011 and ensure that no more than 18 cases of MRSA are recorded each year in the county's acute hospitals.

Hospitals in the county this year became among the first in the UK to introduce a patient screening programme for MRSA.

State-of-the-art deep cleaning equipment was brought into hospitals during January.

Jan Stubbings, PCT chief executive, told directors at a meeting of the trust's board that discussions needed to take place to ensure superbug rates continue to fall.

She said: “We are looking at a scheme where we will not pay when there is a case of MRSA. There should also be a list of improvements and resulting incentives.”

The PCT is also keen to reward the hospital for good performance including bringing down patient waiting times for operations.

It is clear that any measures will not take away money from front-line services.

Plans for the scheme are being discussed by directors from the PCT and Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and could be brought into force later in the year.

A spokesman for the Foundation Trust said: “Patient safety is a top priority for the trust and we will continue to work with our partner organisations to ensure the care we provide is safe, clean and as comfortable as our patients would expect.

“We are at the early stages of discussions with the PCT on how we can further exceed Government targets to provide a higher standard of care.”

A spokesman for Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust, added: “Discussions are at an early stage, but we are keen to look at measures to ensure we continue to encourage and support the reduction in hospital-acquired infections.

“Any measures should not be to the detriment of other front-line services that are highly valued by patients.”