Deaths from hospital infections are still rising sharply, the latest figures from National Statistics show.

Data recording how often MRSA or Clostridium difficile are mentioned on death certificates show a dramatic rise between 2004 and 2005 - up by 39 per cent for MRSA and 69 per cent for C diff.

The figures contrast with those from the Health Protection Agency, which records the number of bloodstream infections. Their figures for MRSA show a small decline over the same period.

Both sources of data are open to criticism - the HPA’s because they only count bloodstream infections, a small fraction of the total, and the Office for National Statistics’ data because they may reflect an increasing willingness by doctors certifying death to mention MRSA or C diff as a cause or contributory factor, rather than any real increase.

According to the new data, the number of death certificates in England and Wales mentioning Staphylococcus aureus almost doubled between 2001 to 2005, from 1,211 to 2,083.

Of these, the percentage that were specifically MRSA, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, rose from 61 per cent in 2001 to 78 per cent in 2005.

Over the period 2001-2005, MRSA was mentioned in one of every 500 death certificates, and C diff on two out of every 500. The total number of mentions for C diff reached 3,807 in 2005.

The death rate for C diff among men in England and Wales almost trebled between 2001 and 2005, from 13.1 to 37.6 per million population, the ONS said, while among women it more than trebled, from 12.8 per million to 38.9 per million.

Lord Hunt, the Health Minister, said: “We are now getting a far more accurate picture of the number of deaths from C diff and MRSA with vastly improved recording.

“It is a major challenge for the NHS and a top priority for Government.

“We have set very tough targets for trusts to reduce infections and put a hygiene code and a tougher inspection regime into law, to drive up standards of hygiene and infection control.

“As a result we are now starting to see significant reductions in rates of MRSA infections.

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