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Link: To The Bone.
At a time when threats from pandemic influenza, antibiotic-resistant infections, and HIV/AIDS are growing, the budget proposal President Bush has submitted to Congress undermines the nation's ability to fight infectious diseases, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) told Congress today. In testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, IDSA President Martin J. Blaser, MD, said that while IDSA supports the president's proposal for $2.3 billion in emergency spending for pandemic influenza preparedness, the Society is deeply concerned about longer-term cuts to other parts of the budget. "Infectious diseases are the third leading cause of death among Americans," Dr. Blaser said. "Although the president's budget would help build a roof against pandemic influenza, it would weaken the foundation of our public health system at the same time."
Link: Propagation
Morbidity and mortality due to nosocomial infection are on the increase. The effectiveness of infection control has become an important indicator of the quality of hospital work, as well as contributing towards cost reduction. The aim of this three-year prospective study was to investigate the daily workload of medical nurses to see if there was a correlation with the spread of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a surgical intensive care unit (SICU) using a Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS). Although this SICU pays great attention to continuing education, the incidence of MRSA is still high. By means of the TISS, it was estimated that nurses in the SICU are overloaded by an average of 57%. Infections with MRSA occurred during periods when nurses were, on average, overloaded by more than 25%. During the study period, 47 new cases of MRSA infection were detected. These results suggest that adequate human resource management, particularly with respect to nursing care staff in SICUs, could contribute towards infection control.
Link: (TheyWorkForYou.com).
The full answer (nothing on MRSA, low millions on Hospital infections), can be found at the link above
Chris Ruane (PPS (Rt Hon Peter Hain, Secretary of State), Northern Ireland Office) Hansard source To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total research budget for developing research into medicines and treatment for (a) MRSA and (b) other hospital acquired infections, in each of the past 10 years.
Link:(TheyWorkForYou.com).
Bernard Jenkin (North Essex, Con) Hansard source
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her Answer of 2 February 2006, Official Report, column 723W, on MRSA, what her Department's policy is on maintaining current records on reported cases of MRSA; how frequently those data are updated; and if she will make a statement.
Jane Kennedy (Minister of State (Quality and Patient Safety), Department of Health) Hansard source holding answer 16 February 2006 Mandatory surveillance measures Methicillin-resitant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (bacteraemias).
Results from this surveillance are published every six months. The results from April to September 2005 were published on 6 February 2006 and are available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/hcai. From April 2005, trusts have been required to report bacteraemias monthly to the Health Protection Agency, and to check these initial reports quarterly before they are collated for publication.
Link: BBC NEWS
Health officials have not decided which trusts are to be visited by MRSA "hit squads" a month after the move was announced, the BBC has learned. Ministers said in February the superbug teams would be sent into the 20 trusts with the "biggest MRSA challenges", but since then only three have begun work. The Department of Health said it always planned to allocate the teams over the coming months and denied undue delays. But opposition politicians accused the government of "lethargy" over MRSA. The specialist teams were announced by Health Minister Jane Kennedy in early February, after new figures revealed a rise in the number of MRSA infections.
Link: CDR Weekly, Vol 15 no 48: News.
The results of the consultation around Action on health care associated infections (HCAI) in England was published on the Department of Health website on 24 November 2005 (1). This contributes to the Health Bill, together with the consultation on smoking. The consultation on these proposals was launched on the 20 June 2005 and ended on the 5th September 2005. There were 121 responses received on the consultation around healthcare associated infections. The legislation will now be introduced in the summer of 2007. The next step in the process of the Health Bill will be the second reading in the House of Commons on Thursday 29 November 2005. The Bill will then go to committee stage in December 2005. The consultation document sets out a range of measures designed to give a firm statutory footing to accepted best practice to monitor and reduce levels of health care associated infection in England. It included four specific questions, as well as offering the opportunity to comment on the proposals more widely. The questions were: 1. Does the Code of Practice cover sufficiently broad a scope in respect to tackling of health care associated infections? 2. Is there sufficient detail and clarity in the Code of Practice in what it requires of service providers? 3. Do the proposals apply sufficient pressure on health care organisations to bring about changes in approaches to tackling health care associated infections where these are needed? 4. Are there any current measures that are unnecessary, or could be simplified, in light of the introduction of these protocols?
Link: IOL: Clare TD thrown out of Doil after row over MRSA.
A third TD has been thrown out of the Doil for trying to raise a health issue with the Taoiseach this morning. The Ceann Comhairle ordered Independent Clare TD James Breen to leave the House when he interrupted Bertie Ahern with a question about the MRSA bug. Yesterday, two Cork TDs - Fine Gael's Bernard Allen and Labour's Kathleen Lynch - were suspended after repeatedly interrupting proceedings during a furious row about cancer services in the south.
Link: Mrsa: 1 Nov 2005: Written answers (TheyWorkForYou.com).
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to raise awareness of MRSA in Northern Ireland.
Shaun Woodward (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Northern Ireland Office) Hansard source
The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety is taking steps to raise awareness of MRSA as follows: an MRSA patient information leaflet which provides relevant data on the origins, symptoms and treatment of the disease has recently been updated. The leaflet is available throughout the health service and is accessible on the DHSSPS website: www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/publichealth
An antimicrobial resistance and hand hygiene TV advertising campaign was launched in 2004 and re-run in 2005.The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the need for good hand hygiene and also to emphasise the need to reduce the use of antibiotics. In June the Department launched a consultation document, "A Strategy for Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections in Northern Ireland 2005–10". This document was issued to the HPSS, patient representatives and the general public. Responses to the consultation are being analysed at present and arising from this a detailed action plan will be launched at a major conference on the subject of infection control which the Department is hosting in Belfast in March 2006.
Link: Daily Mail.
While the public focus remains on plans to outlaw smoking in the majority of workplaces, the Health Bill also includes legislation for action on so-called health care associated infections (HCAIs). It will place a statutory duty on the NHS to comply with a new code of practice to tackle infections and improve hygiene. The Bill will give health watchdog, the Healthcare Commission, the power to issue improvement notices when it feels standards are threatening patient safety. Sanctions could also be taken against those organisations who fail to follow the code. It means that in the most serious cases hospital chiefs could be sacked if they fail to get a grip on the hospital bugs like the superbug MRSA.
Link: CBC Ottawa - CUPE takes on hospital 'superbugs'.
As the Kingston General Hospital quarantines patients in its battle against a drug-resistant infection, the country's largest public service union has launched a publicity campaign to draw attention to "superbug" infections and the need to improve hospital hygiene. "I don't think we learned the lessons from SARS. What we're calling for is some proactivity to save some people's lives here," Michael Hurley, president of CUPE's hospital division, said Monday. The Canadian Union of Public Employees has put together a mobile hospital room that will travel to 23 Ontario communities carrying the message that governments aren't doing enough to combat hospital infections.
Link: BMA responds to Queen's Speech, UK.
"The plans to ensure care homes and independent healthcare providers, as well as NHS sites, take action on hygiene are welcome. However, current rates of MRSA are still high. These proposals are scanty on the detail of concrete measures to reduce healthcare associated infections. We look forward to examining specific plans to tackle these issues as soon as possible. The government must put up dedicated resources if patients and healthcare workers are to be protected."
Link: BBC NEWS
Hospitals could be held criminally liable if patients catch superbugs such as MRSA, Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt has warned. She told ITV1's Dimbleby Programme the government is looking to make current laws stronger to deal with the threat. Factories face stiffer hygiene controls than hospitals and visitors must help keep bugs out, she said. The former trade and industry secretary added that private firms could be given a greater role in running the NHS. 'Absurd' On the MRSA issue, Ms Hewitt said the government was "looking at" holding hospital bosses criminally responsible for bugs such as MRSA. She said: "We need a much stronger legal framework and we'll be consulting on that in a couple of months' time.
Link: spiked-health
You might not agree with everything in this article but it has some provocative insights. Click the link above for the full text
The debate about MRSA has little to do with finding ways to tackle this practical problem. Instead, it seems that MRSA has become a metaphor for a host of social anxieties. MRSA is presented as the result of our slovenliness, of nurses not taking care to wash their hands, of floors left dirty and patients uncared for. There is an idea that we are all responsible, and should all do our bit - by swabbing up if we visit friends and relatives in hospital, and being on the lookout for poor hygiene. Yet improving poor personal hygiene isn't the sole solution to MRSA infection. Experts estimate that only about 15 per cent of cases would be prevented by methods such as isolating infected patients and nurses washing their hands regularly (5).
Link: SocietyGuardian.co.uk
The Department of Health said it would consult NHS officials over the summer on "the issue of statutory powers of criminal prosecution" but it was not intended to prosecute managers for the death of individuals. It would be legally awkward to prove that a hospital had corporate responsibility for an infection that may have contributed to a death in which other factors were involved. Under the bill the Healthcare Commission could issue an improvement notice requiring a hospital or care home to raise hygiene standards before a specified deadline. If the hospital or care home failed to comply, the commission would report it to the health secretary or regulator of NHS foundation trusts, who would take the decision on whether to prosecute. The NHS Confederation, representing managers and trusts, welcomed the proposed hygiene code, but warned against a media-led "hysteria" that was scaring patients into believing that they will never come out of a hospital alive.
Link: MRSA plan revealed.
The government is to assume new powers to enforce hospital hygiene measures - but seems unlikely to place managers at threat of prosecution, it was announced yesterday. Hospitals will have to meet a code of practice on hygiene - and failure to comply will lead to managements being sacked, according to the Queen’s Speech which outlined the government’s proposed new laws. Tom Sandford, RCN director for England, said: "We really need to see more detail about plans for NHS funding after 2008. It is a real fear that less funding for the NHS and more private health services could see NHS hospitals struggling to survive and nurses losing jobs." He added: "We do not want to see nurses in the firing line and used as scapegoats for failures in the system in the fight against MRSA."
Link: Telegraph
This report suggests something of the climate in which MRSA can flourish. the issue isn't staff competence but systemic problems.
Nearly half of the critically ill patients who died in British hospitals did not receive adequate care, according to a detailed analysis of their treatment published today. OTC The report, which makes "critical and uncompromising" observations on the care of acutely ill patients, says that in 41 of the deaths, deficiencies in care were so significant that they might have contributed to the patients' demise.
Link: East Anglian Daily Times.
A DEMONSTRATION calling for more cash to tackle the MRSA crisis has been held outside two hospitals after it emerged eight people there had been struck down with the bug. John Tipple, the Respect party's parliamentary candidate for Harwich, assembled a group of supporters to call for additional NHS finances to fight the problem. Around 15 adults and a number of children joined the protest, which was greeted with waves and the sound of car horns from passing motorists. The demonstration was called in response to news that there were eight people with MRSA in Harwich and Clacton hospitals, of which six had been transferred from Colchester General Hospital. Addressing the group, Mr Tipple said: "Most people agree with the Respect position that this Government should be spending money on welfare not warfare.
Link: BBC NEWS
Well worth a read - click the link above
Looking at the election coverage you could be forgiven for thinking only one important issue faces the NHS - how to deal with MRSA. The hospital superbug has dominated the headlines with regards to health from the moment Tony Blair fired the starting gun. GP waiting times briefly burst on to the scene last week - raised by a member of the public during the BBC Question Time leaders special. But the politicians themselves have chosen to focus heavily on hospital hygiene and infection rates.
Link: Response Source
Number 1 Electoral Issue Those most concerned about action to combat hospital infection are the older members of the community. Microban’s research revealed that 45 to 64 year olds named MRSA and Hospital Acquired Infections more than any other electoral issue as being most important to them.
Link: HEN News
This enterprsing paper go the views of all the local candidates - interesting reading
THE Labour and Conservative Parliamentary hopefuls for Hertford and Stortford clashed over hospital cleaning contracts this week. Much has been made during the General Election campaign about superbug MRSA and hospital cleanliness.
Link: BBC NEWS
But Paul Grime, chairman of the BMA's occupational health committee, said he hoped one consequence of the focus was that real improvements in tackling MRSA will be made in the next parliament. "Going into hospital can be a daunting experience, the idea of getting an infection like MRSA when you are there is worrying for anyone. "Hopefully politicians are heeding people's concerns, but whoever is in government it is important they take urgent and effective action to back up the rhetoric."
Link: East Anglian Daily Times
A DEMONSTRATION calling for more cash to tackle the MRSA crisis has been held outside two hospitals after it emerged eight people there had been struck down with the bug. John Tipple, the Respect party's parliamentary candidate for Harwich, assembled a group of supporters to call for additional NHS finances to fight the problem. Around 15 adults and a number of children joined the protest, which was greeted with waves and the sound of car horns from passing motorists. The demonstration was called in response to news that there were eight people with MRSA in Harwich and Clacton hospitals, of which six had been transferred from Colchester General Hospital. Addressing the group, Mr Tipple said: "Most people agree with the Respect position that this Government should be spending money on welfare not warfare.
Link: FT.com
Never in postwar politics has a microbe become a political football in the way MRSA is today. Other germs, from polio to HIV, have presented graver threats to public health but none has been the subject of such disagreement between the parties as the antibiotic-resistant superbug. Michael Howard kicked off the Tory health campaign for the general election by "ripping into Labour's failure to get a grip on the MRSA scandal" and pledging to give the National Health Service an additional �52m to fight MRSA. John Reid, health secretary, riposted: "You cannot tackle the superbug with a soundbite." For the government's critics, MRSA - short for meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - has come to symbolise the failings of the NHS. "It has become a proxy measure of the state of our hospitals," says Niall Dickson, chief executive of the King's Fund, an independent health charity. "MRSA is widely seen to be an avoidable problem. People believe - wrongly - that if hospitals were cleaner, it would go away."
Link: (TheyWorkForYou.com).
This is a very important page - click on the link above to arrive at a very detailed list of papers that relate to health policy and MRSA
Paul Burstow (Sutton & Cheam, LDem) Hansard source
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) guidance and (b) circulars were issued (i) between 1987 and 1997 and (ii) 1997 and 2005 on the control of healthcare-acquired infections; and what (A) ministerial statements and (B) press notices on the subject were issued between 1997 and 2005.Melanie Johnson (Welwyn Hatfield, Lab) Hansard source
holding answer 9 March 2005 The table shows the guidance and circulars relating to healthcare associated infection and the linked topic of cleanliness issued between 1987 and 2005. The second table shows press releases on the same subject issued between 1997 and 2005. There were no ministerial statements to the House on these subjects during the time period stated.
Link: (TheyWorkForYou.com).
Mark Oaten (Winchester, LDem) Hansard source
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average cost of treating a patient with (a) MRSA and (b) pressure sores in the last year.Melanie Johnson (Welwyn Hatfield, Lab) Hansard source
Holding answer 18 March 2005
The reference costs data provides unit cost information for a variety of procedures, treatments and services undertaken by the national health service in England for a given financial year. However, the costs of treating methicillin resistant "Staphylococcus aureus" and pressure sores cannot be separately identified from the information collected centrally.
Link: East Anglian Daily Times news.
THE loving family of MRSA victim Luke Day have said they do not want his death to be used as a political football - and stressed the tragedy should be a force for change. Julie Fenton, Luke's paternal grandmother, was speaking last night as news of Luke's death sent shockwaves across the country. As revealed exclusively by the East Anglian Daily Times yesterday, Luke died from an MRSA-related illness just 36 hours after he was born at Ipswich Hospital in early February. The tragedy prompted political leaders to seize on the MRSA issue, with the Conservatives accusing Labour of “pre-election trickery” in relation to figures about the killer bug. Tory leader Michael Howard, who sent his “deepest sympathy” to Luke's family, also stressed cleaner hospitals were part of his party's “five priorities”. But Mrs Fenton said: “I can speak for all of us when I say that we don't want it to be used to swing political parties one way or the other - I'd be very disappointed.
Link: Mrsa: 18 Mar 2005: Written answers (TheyWorkForYou.com).
Andrew Murrison (Westbury, Con) Hansard source
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) assessment he has made of the scope for the use of essential oils in dealing with MRSA and (b) funding he intends to provide for research into the use of such oils in combating MRSA.Melanie Johnson (Welwyn Hatfield, Lab) Hansard source
The scientific literature indicates that essential oils can help control healthcare associated infections, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The Department has allocated £3 million to research into healthcare associated infection and has recently issued a call for research proposals. If a proposal on essential oils is submitted, it will be carefully considered alongside others.
Link: icWales
Plaid's plans include the use of diagnostic and treatment centres, but to use these services within the NHS rather than, as some had suggested, commissioning them from the private sector. The party's national executive met on Saturday to rubber-stamp the policies, but it is understood the opposition to using the private sector was such that the idea was not even discussed. The 12 points include an MRSA provision :: Reversing privatisation of hospital cleaning services to combat the MRSA superbug;
Link: 2 Mar 2005: House of Commons debates (TheyWorkForYou.com).
This is a long but provocative debate that took place yesterday. Click the link above for full debate
Tim Loughton
We know that doctors are increasingly reluctant to register deaths as MRSA-related because they fear that it might lead to legal action by patients' families.
It is a particularly British crisis.
The number of incidences of MRSA infection in the United Kingdom, at 44 per cent. of staphylococcus aureus blood isolates resistant to methicillin, compares with just 1 per cent. in Denmark and The Netherlands and 19 per cent. in Germany
Is she worried about the situation described by Professor Richard Wise from the Birmingham City trust, who said that the number of infection control nurses was "worryingly low", at one nurse to every 347 beds, and that there should be one nurse to every 200 beds? What progress have the Government made in meeting their target of one infection control nurse to every 250 beds?
It is a national scandal that one in 11 hospital patients has a hospital-acquired infection at any time.
The Conservatives will speed up the diagnosis of MRSA through the faster application of new methods, and will expand screening where appropriate.
David Davis
The report that first mentioned 5,000 deaths a year from MRSA in this country was the National Audit Office report, which specifically excluded a series of categories. Under this Government, those who die at home are not counted, along with youngsters and those on immunosuppressant drugs. The hon. Lady should take no comfort from the 5,000 figure, as the true figure is probably much higher.
Melanie Johnson
(About Michael Howard) In that press conference he had the opportunity to tell the country that while he was in the Cabinet, between 1993 and 1997, the percentage of Staphylococcus aureus isolates that were methicillin resistant, that is MRSA, increased from 5 per cent. to 30 per cent., and it has only now settled at just over 40 per cent.
Although medical practices change and different micro-organisms are involved, estimates that about 9 per cent. of in-patients in England acquire an infection have not changed since at least 1980.
There are examples of hospitals with high bed occupancy and low infection rates. Sheffield, for example, has an MRSA rate of 0.16 per 1,000 bed days, and an 88.7 per cent. bed occupancy rate.
Jim Dowd
Of the 5 per cent. or so who come from nursing homes—all of which are privately owned in Lewisham—more than 40 per cent. have MRSA on admission.
Paul Burstow
In 18 years in power, the Conservatives were content to rely on a voluntary reporting system that under-reported the problem—dramatically in parts of the country, but significantly across the country. That allowed MRSA rates and those for other superbugs to get out of control.
Shona McIsaac
The genome for the MRSA 16 strain has recently been cracked and the toughness of that clone has become apparent: for example, it is very resistant to high temperature. There has been talk today of the need to wash nurses' uniforms and so on, but if we are to tackle this problem we need to bear it in mind that this strain can survive high temperatures.
Link: BBC NEWS
Conservative leader Michael Howard is expected to unveil proposals to introduce hospital matrons with powers aimed at combating the MRSA superbug. Matrons could shut down dirty wards and operating theatres under the Tory plan. The Tories will claim that the pressure of meeting government waiting times targets prevents hospital managers from closing dirty wards for cleaning. The government has already announced the return of matrons but the Tories say they need to be given more powers. More than 5,000 people die from hospital acquired infections each year. The problem costs the NHS �1bn annually. 'Action needed' Mr Howard is expected to claim that urgent action is necessary because there is now a greater risk of dying from a hospital acquired infection than being killed in a road accident.
Link: The official Liberal Democrat website.
Responding to the report by Dr Mark Enright which suggests the UK's MRSA problem may be due to the emergence of new strains of the superbug, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Paul Burstow MP, said: "This research shows the uphill battle we face against infections. It is critical that Ministers make infection control a top priority. "Patients' lives are being put at risk because of Government targets. The pressure on managers to jump through government hoops means that patients are shunted from ward to ward or put into beds before they have been cleaned properly. These targets should be scrapped. They are doing more harm than good. "There is a shortage of isolation facilities in the NHS. Despite repeated questioning Ministers haven't got a clue how many isolation facilities there are, let alone what plans there are to add more. "Simply promoting hand-washing is clearly not enough. More screening, and isolation when necessary, should all be considered as weapons in the fight against the superbugs."
Link: Guardian
Patients are dying in hospital because of government targets, the Conservative leader, Michael Howard, claimed today. Speaking on the second day of the Guardian's public service summit, the opposition leader took questions after making a speech to a room packed with public sector managers. Mr Howard attacked the Labour administration's attachment to targets by citing the example of hospital patients struck by the MRSA superbug, which spread because doctors and nurses were prevented from closing infected wards, he said.
Link: Party Politics
The fact is since 1997 the number of cases of MRSA have doubled and the UK on the latest European estimates has the second highest levels of MRSA infection in Europe," state Mr Lansley. "He can't possibly argue that it is to do with contracting out," the Shadow Health Secretary told the BBC. "There is simply no direct relationship. There is a relationship between good cleaning and infection
Link: FT.com
Hopes that National Health Service trusts will spend more money on cleaning hospitals are "no more than a pipe dream", according to the industry body that represents the biggest providers of outsourced services. The Business Services Association's assessment was at odds with Monday's assertion by John Reid, health secretary, that government policy was "really putting cleaners and cleanliness back at the centre of our campaign against MRSA" - the best known of the superbugs. Mr Reid was responding to allegations by Unison, the public sector union, that a decline in the number of cleaners used by the NHS was linked to the rise in the incidence of MRSA. Unison argues that the number of cleaners has fallen because of the introduction of outsourcing. The BSA also defended the private sector's record by referring to research published by the Department of Health last year showing "no correlation between the incidences of MRSA, or superbugs, at a trust and whether the cleaning services are provided by a private contractor or not".
Link: Plaid Cymru, Wales, UK.
Plaid Cymru's Shadow Health Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM said that a holistic approach is needed from the Labour Assembly Government to tackle the issue of the hospital superbug MRSA. The Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales AM speaking ahead of a hospital hygiene meeting in London on Thursday 13th January said: "If we are going to address the issue of MRSA and other similar infections we must have a holistic approach to the cleaning and maintenance of buildings within the health service. Clearly contracting out services mean Health Trusts lose control of cleaning standards and procedures. Contracting out also runs the risk of cuts in the number of hospital cleaning staff.
Link: Scotsman.com News
HEALTH service watchdogs were accused of complacency yesterday after they targeted hospital visitors as part of a new campaign to wipe out the "superbug" MRSA. A poster campaign has been launched across Scotland reminding people they must be vigilant about personal hygiene before visiting sick friends or relatives in wards. However, the initiative was criticised as a "distraction from the bigger picture". But the Scottish National Party warned that, while it was important that visitors did their best not to take germs into hospitals, more urgent action was needed to combat infections. Shona Robison, the party’s health spokeswoman, said: "This is commonsense advice from QIS. However, we cannot afford to let this issue distract us from the bigger picture. "Not only do hospitals themselves need to ensure that staff maintain the correct procedures in relation to cleanliness, but the Executive also must ensure that we maintain proper staffing levels to allow health workers to focus on the task in hand."
Link: The official Liberal Democrat website.
Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Paul Burstow MP, said: "Government targets hamper the effort against infection. Patients are shunted from ward to ward and there is not enough time to clean beds properly between patients. Infection control staff are often ignored and the spread of infections continues. Ministers must get a grip on this situation and stop infections spreading. "Ministers' promises to fly in experts from overseas is an insult to experts in this country. We have infection control nurses and doctors who know what needs to be done. The problem is that they are not being listened to. "Frontline staff should be free from red tape and political interference so that they can get on with the job of treating patients, and preventing infections."
Link: Guardian Unlimited
Fewer than half the hospitals in England have good or excellent cleanliness ratings, the health minister Lord Warner said yesterday as he revealed measures to tackle superbugs. Just three, all mental health units, were judged "unacceptable", but a further 24 were "poor", according to spot checks by teams including local health officials and patient representatives. The figures for 1,184 hospitals were published as the Department of Health issued guidance on tackling super-bugs, of which the most notorious, MRSA, is blamed for 5,000 deaths a year. Lord Warner said some NHS trusts might want to renegotiate cleaning contracts because of shortcomings. Although ministers and health specialists caution against a simple causal link between cleanliness and infection, Lord Warner conceded: "It is improbable that a consistently dirty hospital has low cross-infection rates." And the chief nursing officer, Christine Beasley, stressed that hospitals should be clean even if there was "zilch infection". It was a confidence issue for patients, she said.
Link: Guardian Unlimited
The government today admitted that its drive to improve hospital cleanliness in the battle against superbugs was more to do with public perception than available scientific evidence. Health minister Lord Warner said there was "no silver bullet" to combat MRSA rates, conceding that the government's efforts to link cleanliness to infection rates was primarily a move to raise public confidence. Lord Warner's comments were made as he unveiled the latest snapshot of hospital cleanliness which revealed that just under half of all hospitals are providing "excellent" or "good" hospital cleanliness.
Link: Conservative Party
Commenting on the Government's initiative launched today to tackle dirty hospitals, Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "The Government's plan to combat MRSA announced today is the 22nd in a long line of initiatives launched since 2000, none of which have reduced infection rates. Blair's Government is all talk on hospital cleanliness. "Whitehall targets have been a key cause in the proliferation of MRSA since 1997 because in order to meet a target, wards are not shut down for cleaning. Patient safety is being compromised. "What really counts is that dirty wards infected with superbugs are shut down until they are cleaned up. We have a comprehensive 10 point action plan to eliminate the superbug, and we will take action where it counts: shutting down dirty, MRSA infected wards."
Link: Comment.
Michael Howard: My mother-in-law was killed by this. We need action, not words
Hospital infections, like MRSA, are the new British disease. They kill at least 5,000 people a year, more than die on our roads. But it is more than just a statistic. It is 5,000 needless personal tragedies, as I know only too well. Two years ago my mother-in-law died from a hospital-acquired infection. She was old and frail. But she still enjoyed her life, and her family loved her. She need not have died. Labour's response to the national scandal of the superbug has been just talk. We have had 21 initiatives in the past four years. Today, the Government will launch the 22nd. But all these initiatives have been designed just to catch headlines, not stop people catching the superbug. The rate of infection has doubled since they came to power.
Link: BMJ.
The Healthcare Commission is about to consult on measures for assessing the performance of healthcare providers in England. The standards against which it will be making these assessments were laid down in July by the Department of Health in Standards for Better Health.1 Despite their potential impact on service development, and on the ability of the commission to make valid and reliable assessments, the standards have received little attention. Yet they deserve to—for they provide a weak basis for assessment and improvement.
Link: this is hull and east riding
Patients are being exposed to an increased risk of catching the killer hospital superbug MRSA because of pressure on hospital beds, according to a senior surgeon.
Pressure to meet Government waiting list targets means there is less time to clean beds properly between patients, it has been claimed.
It is estimated another 120 beds are needed across the NHS in East Yorkshire to cope with demand.
Professor Peter McCollum, clinical director of surgery for Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust, fears patients' lives could be put at risk unless action taken to solve the crisis.
Link: Guardian Unlimited Politics | Special Reports | NHS star guide to be replaced.
NHS hospital star ratings will be scrapped in England after next year and replaced by less crude measures of performance to help patients choose where they would like to be treated, the health inspectorate said today. Sir Ian Kennedy, the chairman of the Healthcare Commission, said the new system would provide detailed information on safety and quality of care at individual hospitals, for the first time giving patient the opportunity to make informed choice. Data about the performance of individual surgeons would be included when the royal colleges agreed how to make fair comparisons.
Link: ic Birmingham
A city MP today joined the fight for cleaner wards at a Birmingham hospital - by putting his name forward to sit on the board.Hodge Hill Labour MP Liam Byrne wants to put the issue of clean wards at the top of Heartlands Hospital's agenda if selected.His decision follows the Evening Mail's undercover investigation highlighting cleaning concerns at the hospital. Mr Byrne said: "Today's White Paper is a vital step forward in the battle for a healthy nation. But clean hospitals are part of that fight."Going into hospital is stressful enough without having MRSA to worry about.
Link: Latest News.
The Hospital Infection Society finds John Reid’s target laudable in its intent, but lacking in its understanding of what is required. We assume he means that the target is a reduction in MRSA bacteraemias* as a marker of the general prevalence of the organism. A community wide approach will be required to improve standards of Infection Control (IC), with a view to decreasing rates of all healthcare associated infections and thereby reduce MRSA infection rates. We support the drive to improve standards but emphasise that this cannot be achieved without adequate resources.
Link: Infection Control Nurses Asociation.
The Infection Control Nurses Association (ICNA) has not been consulted in regard to the very ambitious and challenging targets that John Reid is set to announce later today. We welcome the fact that infection control is now a high priority for the government and we look forward to talking to John Reid about the proposals being put forward. To meet this expectation there will need to be an increase in resources for infection control teams including instigating a comprehensive national surveillance programme and empowerment of Infection Control Nurses to do their job. The ICNA continues to campaign for inclusion of Infection Control professionals in all healthcare purchasing and contracting decisions and the compulsory training for all staff that come into contact with patients in hospitals and the community.
Link: Newswise.
Infectious diseases pose a threat to society that is often overlooked and misunderstood until an outbreak occurs. Over the past few decades, scientists and researchers have been able to identify causative agents that have inflicted millions with HIV, TB and MRSA, enabling them to develop new therapies to treat these emerging diseases. However, more research needs to be conducted in order to continue fighting the ongoing battle with these and other infectious diseases.
“Infectious diseases differ from other diseases because they impact the lives of entire communities as compared to diseases that affect the individual. For example, if a person has hypertension and they decide not to treat their hypertension, that only has implications for that individual or for their immediate family”, said Dana P. Goldman, PhD, Chair in Health Economics and Director of the Health Economics Program at RAND Corporation. “On the other hand, if someone gets an infectious disease and they don't treat it, they can affect the entire community and cause an outbreak or an epidemic as a consequence of not taking action to avoid those diseases. It's worth it more to society than it is to the individual to treat that disease.”
Link: The Sun Newspaper Online
HEALTH chief Dr John Reid was slammed last night after admitting MRSA will still be killing 3,500 patients a year in 2008. Dr Reid said he could only HALVE the number of victims of the superbug within four years. He claimed just 7,000 die annually from MRSA — but the true figure is thought to be as high as 20,000. Critics were up in arms at the confession that it will take another term of government to cut deaths by just half. Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: “After seven years of Blair’s government MRSA has doubled. “This target is unacceptable and will do nothing to restore faith in this government’s determination to fight the problem.”
Link: BBC NEWS
The National Audit Office estimates infections such as MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) kill 5,000 people each year.
Between April 2003 and March 2004 MRSA blood infections increased by 3.6% from 7,384 to 7,647.
But the NAO says incomplete data means the crisis cannot be accurately assessed and the true figure could be much higher
Link: Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru's Shadow Health Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM said that it was time for Jane Hutt to come clean with the figures for MRSA - the hospital superbug. Following an exchange in the National Assembly chamber, the Minister refused to reveal MRSA per hospital in Wales. The Carmarthen East and Dinefwr AM said:
"MRSA - the hospital superbug is a matter of great public concern. Why isn't the Minister informing the public of the figures for Welsh hospitals? Is she attempting to hide something?
Link: The Mail
So-called "mystery shoppers" could be sent into hospitals as part of the health service's battle against the MRSA superbug.
Chris Beasley, the new chief nursing officer, said visitors could be sent unannounced into wards to report back on what was happening. But the Department of Health said there was no question of patients being asked to spy on NHS staff, and the mystery shopper idea was just one of many being explored by the Government to tackle hospital acquired infections. Ms Beasley also announced that more than one million NHS staff would receive infection control training to help fight MRSA.
Link: Times Online - Britain.
Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, criticised the Government’s decision to introduce further targets, which he said were partly to blame for the recent rise of the superbug. He also questioned the decision to focus on the most serious blood stream MRSA infections, when this represented only 15 per cent of MRSA cases.
NetDoctor.co.uk
The Scottish Tories yesterday claimed this lack of action was endangering the lives of patients. Health spokesman David Davidson said: 'By sitting on its hands for too long, the Executive has allowed a recognised problem to deteriorate. Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) take up 11 per cent of hospital beds in Scotland. ' Patients have enough on their plate without having to worry about picking up infections while in hospital. ' Rather than follow our advice and John Reid's lead, the Executive chooses to take a complacent line and effectively rule out this simple but effective move.' Glasgow University research estimates that MRSA accounts for more than 450 deaths every year in Scotland, more than the 316 people killed in road accidents.
A Nuneaton amputee who is trying to prove a link between poor hygiene and the hospital superbug MRSA has taken his crusade to the House of Commons. University lecturer Edmund Hopkins, aged 66, whose right leg had to be amputated after he contracted MRSA at Nuneaton's George Eliot Hospital, went to London and had a face-to-face meeting with Health Secretary John Reid. After the meeting, Mr Hopkins, who lives in Sterling Way, Nuneaton, expressed his disappointment. "I am still no wiser," he said. "He was unable to answer my question."
Scotsman.com
A new chief nursing officer appointed to rid hospitals of the MRSA superbug would not have powers to close infected wards, Conservatives claimed today. Chris Beasley, who has 32 years experience in nursing, has been appointed to improve hospital cleanliness and tackle hospital acquired infections like MRSA.
But Tory leader Michael Howard said the Government always announced “the return of Matron” when it had no idea what else to do.
“Will you confirm that neither the new chief nursing officer nor any other nurse nor indeed local infection control teams themselves have the power to ensure that infected wards are closed,” he demanded at question time. Mr Blair insisted the state of infection in a ward was the primary consideration when deciding whether it remained open and staff had “full powers” over such decisions.
There's more at the link above
Times Online - Comment
MRSA may have infected Westminster politics, but the experts know very little about the bug The odd — and frightening — thing about MRSA is that nobody really seems to understand it. This makes it a lethal weapon, not just against the immune-suppressed patient, but also against the politician attempting to control it. Yesterday’s announcement by John Reid, the Health Secretary, of a “matron’s charter” to try to clean up hospitals is the latest in a string of failed initiatives. In 2001 Mr Reid’s predecessor, Alan Milburn, made a pretty much identical promise to give matrons the authority to crack down on cleanliness.
This is an excellent reflection on MRSA and Political Policy - click link above for full article
Conservative Party
Speaking in advance of hosting the MRSA Support Group lobby of Parliament on Wednesday 20 October 2004, Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley MP said, "Over the last seven years rates of MRSA have doubled . Forty per cent of the staphylococcus aureus bacteria in the UK is resistant to methicillin, this compares to one per cent in the Netherlands .
"Four years ago the National Audit Office first highlighted the extent of the problems and risks associated with hospital acquired infections. Since then the urgency with which this issue should have been addressed has been sadly lacking and patients have suffered as a consequence. Even now we are hearing talk but no action from Ministers. That is why Conservatives are focussing on what actions should be taken now to ensure the NHS provides an infection free environment for patients. Today I am launching our plan for action."
ic Birmingham
Health secretary John Reid today ordered a crackdown on hospital hygiene days after The Evening Mail highlighted the cleaning problems at a Birmingham hospital. Dr Reid promised a new drive on hospital cleanliness in a bid to tackle hospital-acquired infections like MRSA. He is also pushing for death certificates to be scrutinised more closely in a bid to track how big a problem the superbug presents.
News
Dr Reid denounced Tory criticism of his plans as "one of the most hypocritical positions I have ever heard the Conservatives take".
The problem of hospital cleanliness had its root in the Conservative policy of requiring health managers to contract out responsibility for cleaning and the Tories had never published figures on infection rates in hospitals, he said.
Dr Reid told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The contracting-out system has led to control of cleaning being out of the hands of the nurses, matrons and sisters and in some cases it has led to those doing the cleaning feeling not part of the team. "I am not going to ban contracting out at the moment... but if there is going to be a contract out-house, then the nursing staff must be involved in the drawing up of that contract so that there is clear control for clinical nursing staff on the ground."
He added: "The Conservatives refused for 20 years to collect statistics. We are the first government to make sure that hospitals have to publish infection rates and the first government to ask the healthcare inspectorate to make cleanliness part of hospital assessment."
BBC NEWS
The Conservatives launched their own action plan on Tuesday on how they would tackle the rise in hospital superbugs. The party promised to abolish Whitehall targets which it says have meant wards have not been closed for cleaning, even if infection control teams have recommended the move. The plan also proposes a Health Protection Agency infection control team, which could be sent to affected hospitals, and more training in infection control for all health professionals. Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Langley said: "Four years ago the National Audit Office first highlighted the extent of the problems and risks associated with hospital acquired infections.
"Since then the urgency with which this issue should have been addressed has been sadly lacking and patients have suffered as a consequence.
Telegraph
John Reid, the Health Secretary, has announced new plans to tackle the MRSA superbug in hospital wards, including a Matron's Charter.
The charter sets out a ten-point plan outlining matrons' priorities for keeing hospitals clean. It states that wards should be clean and safe and cleaning staff should be made to feel part of the team.
Matrons will have the power to withhold payment for cleaning services that were considered substandard. Dr Reid also said that Chris Beasley, the newly-appointed Chief Nursing Officer, will oversee the drive to improve ward cleanliness and tackle hospital acquired infections.
the Mail online
The Government's superbug policies appear to be in disarray. Their policies have been branded 'weak' and campaigners claim the Department of Health's figures are 10 years out of date. It looks like the war on superbugs is far from being won. New reports suggest MRSA could be killing over 10,000 people a year, the most likely place to catch it being an NHS hospital. Here, we take a look at the Government's policies - what they mean and whether the ones in place are making any difference. We also examine the risks ordinary people face, including real-life stories, and finally, look at scientific breakthroughs in beating the deadly superbug.
The official Liberal Democrat website
Responding to today’s report by the MSA Support Group, which claims that the number of people killed by MRSA in England is four times higher than the official nationwide figure, Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, said: “No one knows how many people are dying from hospital infections in the NHS every year. “When it comes to fighting MRSA, this Government is working in the dark. It neither has any idea of the true level of MRSA, nor has it actively sought to find out.
BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | MP's plan to tackle MRSA superbug
Labour MP John Lyons is calling for an end to contract cleaning in NHS hospitals in a bid to crack down on the spread of the MRSA superbug. In a Commons debate, the Strathkelvin and Bearsden MP is expected to demand more action to wi