A patient at the city's newest hospital is being treated for the superbug Clostridium difficile.

The £60 million Bristol Heart Institute (BHI) opened its doors to the first patients on Tuesday but already staff are having to deal with a case of the infection.

The bug, which causes diarrhoea, was present in the patient before the person moved into the purpose-built cardiac centre and the patient is being cared for in one room in the hospital.

University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UHBristol), which runs Bristol Heart Institute, has seen a significant drop in the number of Clostridium difficile (C.diff) cases.

The new centre has been designed with infection control in mind.

There are more single rooms than in the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) and separate bays for patients.

Hand basins have been installed next to every bed space along with alcohol gel holders.

The new hospital is also easier to clean, with radiators on the ceilings and movement sensors for lights.

All inpatients were transferred from the BRI into the heart institute on Tuesday and outpatient clinics will move into the new building next week.

Christine Perry, assistant chief nurse and director of infection prevention and control at UHBristol, said: "There is a patient with Clostridium difficile infection at the Bristol Heart Institute.

"The infection was contracted before the move to BHI. The patient is being cared for in a single room.

"Any C.diff infection is unacceptable to the trust and we are working hard to minimise C.diff in all our hospitals."