We'll scrub up hospitals to beat superbugs, promises Brown

A buoyant Prime Minister arrived this afternoon 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.

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Deep clean: Gordon Brown underlined his promise to tackle superbugs with a cleaning programme for all hospital wards with a visit to Southampton General

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.

"We know that over time, ingrained cleanliness problems build up, especially in hard-to-reach places like ceilings and ventilation ducts, which cannot be dealt with by day-to-day cleaning," he wrote in the News of the World.

"So over the next year, for the first time, every hospital will receive a 'deep clean' designed to return our hospitals to the state they were in when they were built brand new.

"A ward at a time, walls, ceilings, fittings and ventilation shafts will be disinfected and scrubbed clean."

Officials said that it would be up to individual NHS trusts to decide how the cleaning programme was implemented.

However it is thought wards could be closed for a week at a time while they are systematically cleansed.

The scheme was drawn up by the Health Minister, Lord Darzi, based on the experience of the United States where many hospitals carry out similar cleansing drives.

NHS trusts in England will be mandated by the Government to carry out the programme while funds will be made available to the devolved administrations to do the same.

On cancer, Mr Brown said that the waiting time for women for the results of cervical screening tests would be cut from six weeks or more to a maximum of 14 days.

The age range for routine screening for women for breast cancer - currently 50 to 70 - will be extended to 47 to 73, bringing an extra 200,000 women a year into the programme.

Mr Brown said that the Government would deliver on its manifesto commitment to ensure an appointment with a specialist within two weeks of referral for all patients with suspected breast problems.

And he said that a further one million men and women would undergo routine screening for colon cancer.

"Those are my goals for a better NHS," he said.

"And I believe over the next few days we will show it is the Labour party which has the strength and vision to deliver the changes which people want, against a Tory party which refuses to back our reforms and cannot match our investment."

The Prime Minister can expect a rapturous reception from delegates when he delivers his keynote speech on Monday.

Behind the scenes, however, there are some rumblings of discontent - particularly among the trade unions who have been angered by his determination to hold down public sector pay.

Mr Brown may also come under pressure to hold a referendum on the new European Union reform treaty - something which he has been determined to resist.