Health watchdog Monitor has warned hospital trusts – including Bradford – they must start to meet tough MRSA performance targets this year.

The independent regulator of foundation trusts said failure to achieve the targets is the responsibility of the foundation trust board and will be considered as a potential reflection of poor governance at a trust.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which manages Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital, was one of 36 foundation trusts across the country which breached their full year MRSA target in the year 2007-8.

The trust recorded a total of 47 cases of MRSA – 29 more than their target of 18.

And at the end of December Bradford Teaching Hospitals was one of four foundation trusts written to by Monitor as it was recording some of the highest numbers of MRSA cases. The information is contained in a report by Monitor, published yesterday reviewing the overall performance of all 89 foundation trusts across the country in the 12 months up to March 31, 2008.

The report says the Bradford trust was one of those contacted by letter during the year “to ensure that infection control issues are receiving the attention they require at the highest level”.

“Since then, at Monitor’s request, independent audits of infection control compliance have been carried out at these trusts,” the report continues.

“Monitor is now looking to the boards of each of these NHS foundation trusts to take all the necessary actions, based on feedback from the independent audits, to meet their target in 2008 to 2009.”

A spokesman for Monitor said: “While NHS foundation trusts have met most healthcare targets in the year, Monitor remains concerned with the variation in performance with regard to year-on-year reductions in the number of MRSA cases.

“The achievement of target reductions continued as the main challenge for some NHS foundation trusts. MRSA performance, together with the new national target for Clostridium difficile, will be particular areas of focus for Monitor in 2008-9.”

Miles Scott, the trust’s chief executive, said a great deal of progress had been made, and continued to be made, since the period referred to in the report (October-December 2007).

He said: “We are determined to build on this platform to improve the control of infection – in the past year alone, our rates of MRSA have dropped by 20 per cent. Our patients can be reassured that we offer extremely safe clinical services and excellent levels of care.

“This fight against infection remains a high priority for the Board and everybody working at our hospitals. We are continually launching new measures to minimise the spread of infection among patients, visitors and staff wherever possible.”