More than £2.3 million has been spent trying to combat a serious stomach bug at a hospital where cases have almost doubled.
Nine outbreaks in a year of clostridium difficile have forced Good Hope Hospital, in Sutton Cold-field, to shut down wards.
Staff have been criticised by Dr Patha De, Good Hope's consultant micro-biologist, for failing to isolate infected patients and for missing training sessions on fighting the infection.
A lack of cleaners has also been blamed for delays in re-opening infected wards.
"There were difficulties in arranging 'deep cleans' of wards due to low domestic staffing levels and agency teams were called in, which therefore delayed the reopening of wards," said Dr De.
"Staffing levels in the domestic department is a critical issue and must be urgently addressed. There was also failure to isolate patients with diarrhoea and vomiting, and poor attendance at teaching sessions."
In 2000, 109 patients were infected with the bacteria in, but this figure shot up to nearly 200 last year, and from from January to June this year 84 cases were reported.
Extra specialist nurses have now been drafted in to cope with the bug.
A hospital spokesman said new measures to tackle the infection were in place including improved staff training, reminders to clean toilets properly and to wash hands regularly.
"New surveillance procedures introduced this year have shown that the rate of infection by clostridium difficile has fallen in the hospital.
"Under extreme circumstances, a ward may be 'closed', in which case, patients remain on the ward but new admissions and transfers to other areas of the hospital are stopped until the infection is treated and cleared."
