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Clostridium Difficile

May I draw the Secretary of State's attention to the debate in the House on 23 January 2007? After listing a catalogue of neglect and disaster at Maidstone hospital, I said:"““One of my constituents telephoned his brother to say that he was in Maidstone hospital with C. difficile, sitting in his own diarrhoea, and that he wished he was dead.””" I asked the then Secretary of State:"““Can anyone believe that when that is the standard of nursing, it has nothing to do with the spread of infection?””—[Official Report, 23 January 2007; Vol. 455, c.1321-2.]" That was 10 months ago. May I draw the Secretary of State's attention to something that I identified at the time, but has not mentioned in his responses so far? It is the crucial role of ward sister. Ward sister, unlike management, matron or the director of nursing, is there all day. She used to fulfil the role of boss: ““Nurse, why is that drip empty?””; ““Nurse, why is this man in his own diarrhoea?”” If she still fulfilled that role—[Interruption.] I am very grateful, Mr. Speaker. I apologise for the length of the question, but we are considering my trust and I am concerned about what is going on. Does the Secretary of State accept that, if ward sister fulfilled her former role, many of the difficulties might have been avoided? Does he agree that there are three main reasons for her not fulfilling that role? First, short-staffing means that she is nursing when she should be bossing and supervising. Secondly, she has become too much a commissioner of bandages and blankets rather than active on the wards. Thirdly, she spends too much time filling in forms—whether that is related to targets or anything else is not the point; she spends too much time on officialdom. Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that I was right to say 10 months ago that if we get the role of ward sister right we will make a huge impact on the situation?