Costly cleanse unnecessary

Photo / Greg Bowker

New Zealand hospitals have no immediate plans to introduce a costly programme to "deep clean" wards to fight deadly superbugs.

The regime involves intense cleaning of hospital wards by emptying them out, dismantling beds, and even scouring behind light fittings and radiators using steam and ultrasonic cleaning.

The programme came under fire when it was introduced in the Britain in 2008 because of the cost upward of $130 million.

Experts say it helped to fight the onslaught of antibiotic-resistant infectious diseases there but that the programme won't be necessary in New Zealand hospitals because of comparatively low levels of infections.

Dr David Holland, an infectious diseases physician at Auckland City Hospital, said New Zealand had probably fared better than the UK because of its remote location. He had heard that while the programme helped reduce infections, the resource that was put into it came at the expense of other services.

Waikato Hospital's chief operating officer Jan Adams said other initiatives such as a hand hygiene programme and a reduction of visiting hours had worked well to reduce infection levels there.