The Care Quality Commission has set out new ground rules for how National Health Service trusts must make improvements in preventing the spread of hospital superbugs in England. All hospital boards will have to sign a declaration in January saying whether or not they have met the various requirements on the U.K. Government's hygiene code. Trusts that are unable to comply to the new code face the risk of not meeting the standard for registration as an NHS provider. Without the registration, hospitals could lose a licence to treat patients and be forced to stop operating.