Hospital infection data is made public

People will be able to check the weekly MRSA and Clostridium difficile rates at their local hospital from next month, the Government has announced.

Infection figures for all hospitals in England will be published each week on the data.gov.uk website.

Patients will be able to look at data for the previous three months and, over time, infection rates for bugs like E. coli will be added. Weekly data from March to May for many hospitals is already up and running.

MRSA and C. diff infections are now at their lowest level since records began.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "It will enable people to make meaningful choices because they will be able to make comparisons between different hospitals and healthcare organisations."

The Government has said it will also look at whether figures should be provided at a department or ward level without breaching confidentiality of patients.