The outbreak of clostridium difficile at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, in which at least 1,100 were infected and about 90 died, carries one clear lesson for policymakers and patients alike.

It is that no amount of central guidance, top-down imposition of an annual steam clean of wards, the creation of extra matrons or ward sisters’ right to demand better cleaning – some of the government’s headline solutions – is going to solve the problem.