Responding to reports in the national press that Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust may not be 'licensed' by the new Care Quality Commission in the new year, Paul Bentley Chief Executive said:

"We welcome the creation of the new Care Quality Commission and are confident that Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals will be licensed to operate.    Patients and visitors tell us that they find the hospitals clean; we had the lowest rate of MRSA in Surrey in 2007/08; and our rates of hospital acquired infection continue to fall.    The Healthcare Commission, which is to be replaced by the Care Quality Commission, picked up two minor issues in their hygiene code inspection earlier this year.   We took immediate action to rectify the issues which related to a risk assessment on a desk top steriliser and the facilities in a room used to clean three special pressure relieving mattresses per week.    The desk top steriliser has been removed and the mattress cleaning room refurbished."