INFECTION control has become a high priority at the Kent hospitals at the centre of superbug outbreaks, the Healthcare Commission has said.

Inspectors returned to Maidstone Hospital and Kent and Sussex Hospital in December to measure progress since their damning report into C-diff outbreaks was published in October.

That report revealed that 90 people died during two superbug outbreaks between April 2004 and September 2006.

But the follow-up report, published this week, said there are "encouraging signs of improvement".

Inspectors added: "It was obvious that infection control had become a high priority at the trust. C-diff was beginning to be recognised as a diagnosis in its own right."

The Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust faced criticism of its management and hygiene controls in the October report.

Since then the trust has introduced a C-diff isolation ward, recruited more infection control staff and is one of the first in the UK to be deep cleaned.

But the report says the trust needs to do more to recruit more nurses. While investigating the C-diff outbreaks, the Healthcare Commission published evidence of nurses being so rushed they told patients to "go to toilet in your beds."

Glenn Douglas, who last week took over as the trust’s permanent chief executive, said recruiting nurses was the trust’s top priority this year.

Plans are in place to recruit 202 nurses between now and March 2009.