Hospital 'deep clean' to beat bugs

Gordon Brown announced that every hospital in the country is to undergo a ward-by-ward "deep clean" in a bid to drive out superbugs from the National Health Service.

A buoyant Prime Minister arrived in Bournemouth for the start of his first party conference as Labour leader amid a swirl of speculation that he will capitalise on his opinion poll lead to call a snap general election.

And he was swift to launch his first policy initiative, promising that over the next 12 months all hospitals would be restored to a pristine state of cleanliness to rid them of MRSA and C-difficile.

In the course of an article for the News of the World and an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Brown also announced an extension of screening and early treatment for cancer.

He refused to be drawn on whether he intended to go to the country this autumn, telling The Sunday Times: "My focus is and will remain on the work that needs to be done".

However he stressed that he intended to deliver "world-class health care" - reflecting his belief that the NHS will be a key general election battleground.

He said that the measures on cancer screening and hospital cleansing would form part of the Government's agenda for the next phase of the NHS to be unveiled over the coming days.