HOSPITAL bosses have admitted they fear patients will shun hospitals because of fears they could still contract a killer superbug there.

The admission came as Kent County Council offered to loan £5million to the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust to recruit more nurses and cleaners and called on health bosses to be more open about conditions in a bid to restore public faith.

County councillors grilled Glenn Douglas, the interim chief executive of the trust, at an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday and sought reassurances that steps were being taken to address the findings of the damning report which concluded up to 90 patients had died from the C-diff bug at the trust's three hospitals at Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Pembury.

And there were fresh calls for board chiefs to stand down, with KCC council leader Cllr Paul Carter adding his voice to those demaning a shake-out at the top.

He said the report was a "wake-up call" not just for Kent but the country. "The NHS has lost its dignity and humanity, particularly in the way nursing care is delivered," he said.

Too few people were prepared to do what he called "the dirty work", he added. "The 'not my job' attitude is too prevalent across the country."

Mr Douglas insisted standards at the hospitals were now better than they had been and the report was a watershed.

But he expressed concerns that patients would be so alarmed many would risk their health by deciding not to turn up for appointments or by choosing not to have operations.

"My biggest fear in all of this is that patients who need hospital care will opt out as a result of this report. It is a serious issue and one we are taking very seriously. The hospitals are safe...but they still need to improve."

He said the hospital was prepared to be far more open about conditions. "It will not happen over 24 hours but people will build confidence."

The trust has not yet indicated if it will take up KCC’s offer of a loan.

Meanwhile, Kent MPs are due to meet health secretary Alan Johnson on Wednesday to discuss the report.

The MPs will seek a pledge that the trust’s difficulties will not stand in the way of plans for a new privately-funded hospital at the Pembury site.