Improvements in infection rates and nursing numbers have been made since assessments showing a hospital trust was not meeting government hygiene standards were made, bosses say.

Figures published today by the Healthcare Commission showed that, according to its own assessment, the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust failed to meet 19 out of 43 standards in the period between April 2007 and March 31, 2008.

The information was provided by the trust as part of the commission’s annual performance assessment of all English NHS trusts, which will be rigorously cross-checked with performance data, clinical audits and surveys to see if it is accurate.

The trust was the subject of a damning Healthcare Commission report in October 2007 into two C-difficile outbreaks across its hospitals in Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and Pembury between April 2004 and September 2006 in which 90 people died.

Commenting on the trust’s results, Glenn Douglas, chief executive, said: “A new management team is now in place at the trust and raising standards of patient care.

“The declaration was submitted (to the HCC) by the trust’s new board in April this year and is a critical self-assessment by the board of the organisation’s past performance.

“The board’s review also takes into account the findings of the Healthcare Commission’s report from last year, which was a catalyst for change and improvement in the standards of patient care that my new management team is now leading.”

He added: “This review is about the trust’s well-documented past. We are now seeing major improvements in patient care which are being led by a new board chaired by George Jenkins and supported by new non-executive directors. These improvements will be reflected in future reviews.”