Battle against hospital bugs must intensify - icWales

Link: Battle against hospital bugs must intensify - icWales.

MORE must be done to fight dangerous infections in hospitals and clinics, the Assembly Government will be told today.

Evidence shows you have a higher risk of getting an infection after surgery in Wales than in any other part of the United Kingdom.

Nearly a fifth (18%) of all infections take place after surgery.

The report – by the Assembly’s cross-party audit committee – claims: “This is a higher proportion than in England (13.8%), Northern ireland (13.8%) and Scotland (15.9%), although it is lower than in the Republic of Ireland (21.5%).

The National Public Health Service estimates that the annual cost of infections in Wales is £50m.

There is evidence that C-difficile infections “increased significantly” in Wales between 1993 and 2005.

However, the report notes that, overall, Wales has had more success than England or Scotland in fighting infections.

While 6.4% of all patients in Welsh acute hospitals suffered an infection, this is less than England (8.2%) and Scotland (9.5%). Wales is out-performed by the Republic of Ireland (4.9%) and N. Ireland (5.4%).