Clostridioides difficile (or Cdiff) is a bacterium (bug) that can cause diarrhoea and other serious gut diseases. It usually affects people who have recently taken antibiotics. Infection prevention activities in hospitals, like hand washing and cleaning, try to stop patients from picking up bugs like Cdiff. Changes in antibiotic prescribing also aim to prevent patients from catching Cdiff.
The Welsh Government requires all health boards in Wales to monitor Cdiff, through surveillance. The HARP programme carries out this surveillance on behalf of the Welsh Government and the NHS in Wales. Test results from patient samples are reported by laboratories across Wales. The HARP program has access to the test results, which they analyse and use to produce data dashboards of trends in Cdiff.
The HARP programme collaborates with Welsh health boards in Wales to reduce the risk of patients developing Cdiff in hospitals and other healthcare settings.