The NHS trusts which run hospitals in Bradford and Airedale say they want to continue to drive down hospital infections - after they were both declared "fully compliant" with the Healthcare Commission's core standards for infection control.

Airedale NHS Trust said it had shown a year-on-year reduction in MRSA infection rates, while Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said it had followed the standards set by the Department of Health's hygiene code.

In Bradford, health bosses say more patients are being screened for MRSA, isolation areas are being increased, old wards are being refurbished, more wash basins are being installed and the infection control team has been expanded.

In Airedale, there are plans to strengthen the trust's infection control training programme for staff, continue to drive home the messages in the Clean Your Hands campaign and work with matrons to further improve cleaning standards.

But the national trend shows that fewer NHS trusts than last year can show they maintain standards on cleanliness and hygiene, despite a Government drive to get the message across.

One in four NHS trusts is failing to hit targets aimed at tackling bugs like MRSA and Clostridium difficile (C diff), according to the new report.

The news comes just weeks after the Healthcare Commission warned that hospitals will be served with "improvement notices" if they fail to tackle bugs.

Bradford and Airedale Patient and Public Involvement Forum has made MRSA and infection control one of its main priorities.

At its meeting last month, Miles Scott, chief executive of Bradford Teaching Hospitals Trust, which runs BRI and St Luke's Hospital, said MRSA was a major issue.

He said: "Our performance is not where we would want it to be but this is our number one issue."

But a spokesman for Bradford Teaching Hospitals said: "The foundation trust has declared that it has fully met all the Healthcare Commission's standards including those on hygiene. This means that we have followed the standards set by the Department of Health's hygiene code.

"The most recent figures show that our rate for MRSA per 1,000 bed days is 0.17 and for C.Diff the rate is 1.05. These rates show that we compare well to other similar hospitals in England. However, we are committed to reducing the number of patients with healthcare associated infections."

Paul Godwin, consultant microbiologist and director of infection prevention and control for Airedale NHS Trust, said: "The cleanliness of our hospital and control of infection is an absolute priority for us. This year Airedale NHS Trust is fully compliant with the Healthcare Commission core standards relating to control of infection, hospital cleanliness and hygiene.

"We have achieved this by showing a successful reduction year on year of our MRSA infection rates and our pathology department has an accredited clinical laboratory. This year's statistics to date also show we are on track to meet the Government target for reduction of this infection rate."

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Where there is evidence of a problem, it is important that individual organisations ensure that they have plans and processes in place to improve."