Standards of hygiene and patient dignity have fallen over the past year, according to NHS trusts' own admission.
Overall compliance with healthcare standards has risen, however, according to the NHS watchdog the Healthcare Commission which has published NHS trusts' declarations of standards.
One in four trusts in England (99 out of 394) has admitted to failing to meet standards of cleanliness and infection control as set out in a compulsory hygiene code introduced by the Department of Health last October.
Problems identified by trust themselves include failure to decontaminate reusable medical equipment and inability to keep patients, staff and visitors safe with systems to ensure that risk of healthcare acquired infection to patients is reduced.
The declarations are the first stage of annual NHS assessment carried out by the Commission and are made up of every NHS trust in England issuing a public declaration on performance in meeting the government's core standards.
Clinicians, patients and the public can see what local trusts say about whether they measure up against 24 standards (with 44 parts) in areas like safety, clinical effectiveness and patient focus.
The declarations show:
- there are three standards that relate to the Hygiene Code and in all three cases more trusts are declaring non-compliance compared to last year
- 60% of trusts acknowledge they need to do more to achieve full compliance
- there was a slight decline in the number of trusts saying they met two standards that deal with treating patients with dignity and respect.
Overall, the performance improved and the declarations also showed that:
- more trusts say they meet all of the standards, with the total declaring full compliance rising from 34% in 2005-2006 to 40% in 2006-2007
- the overall compliance rate is 94%
- there was improvement in two standards that relate to compliance with guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
The Healthcare Commission said it would check the accuracy of NHS trusts' declarations and carry out a thorough cross-checking exercise.
Anna Walker, chief executive of the Commission, said: "If it is confirmed that more trusts are meeting the core standards than last year, then that would be a significant success.
"We will come down harder where we find non-compliance in practice. That is why we will ensure rigorous analysis of the accuracy of what organisations are saying, using the array of data we hold and targeted inspection where necessary."
Liberal Democrat shadow health secretary, Norman Lamb said: "It is shocking that after countless Government initiatives the number of hospitals failing to protect patients from these infections has doubled.
"Hospital staff should treat failure to comply with hygiene standards as a very serious issue, akin to gross misconduct. Disciplinary action may be required to ensure standards are met and lives are saved."
The full NHS annual performance ratings for 2006-2007 will be published in October.