The chief executive of the Cape Breton District Health Authority says that experts in infection prevention have been hired to help avoid another outbreak of C. difficile in hospitals.

John Malcom says that the health authority accepts findings by Nova Scotia's auditor general that deadly outbreaks of C. difficile could have been linked to improper infection control systems.

In a report released yesterday, Jacques Lapointe called upon the Cape Breton District Health Authority to tighten procedures.

That includes ensuring that bedpans and commodes are cleaned in rooms separate from areas where the bacterial infection is detected.

The health district says that four patients died due to the illness in the first outbreak last year, and one death occurred in the second outbreak that started last December.

Malcom says he's personally apologized to the families on behalf of the health authority

He says the added staffing and regular audits should help make the hospitals in the province's second-largest health district safer and less prone to the infection.