Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has launched a major new fight against hospital infections – and patients are being asked to play their part.

Its Ban the Bugs campaign aims to raise public awareness and remind everyone – staff, patients and visitors – what they can do to help reduce infections such as MRSA and C-difficile.

It comes as Victoria Hospital pioneers a new technique which will see MRSA cases diagnosed in just two hours rather than two days or more.

The walls of the hospital are being daubed with bugs – but they are harmless.

They are cartoons of colourful, creepy characters and are designed to get the message across about tackling disease.

The trust has just celebrated its 55th day free of MRSA, which according to hospital chiefs is the longest stretch since records began.

And it has become the first in the North West to start using a new fast turn-around screening test for MRSA.

It can process a sample and give results in just two hours –instead of the usual 48 to 72 hours – meaning patients can be isolated and treated early to stop the disease spreading.

Julian Hartley, chief executive of the hospitals trust, said: "We timed the launch of Ban the Bugs to coincide with Nurses' Day, which is a celebration of our nurses' hard work and achievements.

"We know reducing hospital-acquired infections is a top priority for patients and the public, so it is for us.

Awareness

"We are already taking steps to tackle it and want to raise awareness of the importance of effective measures to combat hospital infections, which include hand-washing, using alcohol hand gel and so on.

"The trust has invested around £1m and has started screening surgical patients.

"We have also carried out a deep clean of all the hospital wards, a really thorough clean, right down to cleaning the wheels on trolleys."

Dr Nick Harper, director of infection prevention and control, added: "The last thing in the world we want is the idea that people come into hospital to get better and pick up infection. We are here to make them better."

Jo Lickiss, nursing consultant in infection prevention and control, said: "We have to raise awareness that everybody has a role to play.

"Visitors need to think about staying away if they are ill and not sitting on beds. Also using the alcohol hand-gel on the wards."