MRSA in UK hospitals

Are these cuts in cleaners causing the increase of infection. Even though many of us carry the MRSA bacteria without effecting us, it much easier for people who are already unwell to be effected worse by the bacteria causing serious illness and in some cases death. Without proper cleaning regimes the bacteria can easily be passed by patient to patient by health care workers cross contaminating from patient to patient, unclean work surfaces and implements. As the NHS are trying to cut costs to keep it running more people are being keep in small spaces causing there to be a much higher chance of infection because MRSA infection can spread more easily in hospitals, where sicker and weaker people tend to be in close proximity.

The present regime of asking every person, to wash their hands with an alcohol-gel, before entering a ward, may well go some way to reducing incidents. But a recent survey by us (BBC News), saw that more than 50% of staff ignored the use of the antibacterial gel. This adds to the lax in hygiene regimes in hospital and could also be another cause to the increased rate of infection.

After speaking to a doctor Warwickshire Hospital he said he noticed that over 4 out of 10 Medics don't regularly wash their hands, when on duty, and some doctors don't wear white-coats. Could this be a contributing factor to the spread of infection.

MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) means it resistant to many of our anti-biotics meaning we have less to treat it with and the anti-biotics we do have need to be administered in higher and longer doses

How we can slow the rate of infection down?

This diagram from the BBC news website shows 4 steps in which we can limit the rate of infection, by personal hygiene of hand washing and limiting visitors and making then wash their hands and putting in place a good cleaning routine in the hospital.

The NHS is targeting ward cleaning and personal hygiene, and has issued guidelines for staff.

These include providing disinfectant hand-rubs and encouraging more vigilance among patients and visitors.

Doctors are now more careful about prescribing antibiotics only when essential, which should help slow the evolution of resistance among bacteria.

These hospital-acquired infections can be reduced by strict hospital hygiene, frequent hand washing and a greater proportion of single rooms to stop cross contamination of patients. The government to try and tackle hygiene in the hospital has recently announced their 'CleanYourHands' Campaign. This will involve hospitals placing disinfectant hand-rubs by each patient's bed and an awareness campaign for medical staff on the importance of frequent hand washing. They also are putting into action tougher measures against MRSA by making less overcrowding, more empty beds and isolation.

What can we do to help?

We can be active members within our hospitals. When entering a hospital either by being a visitor or patient "demand the highest standards of hygiene and - since human contact is a major way infection spreads in hospital - to feel happy to ask staff if they've washed their hands."

We can also stay informed about our local hospitals off the governments health website where hospitals have to publish and display hospital-acquired infection rates and trends. As a patient you may then have a choice of hospitals. Also For advice and information on cleanliness in English hospitals, contact your local hospital's patient advice and liaison service (PALS).

How the UK's rate of infection compares to Europe's

UK levels of MRSA bloodstream infections are amongst the highest in Europe, according to government data. I obtained this from the BBC news website.

The Department of Health reported an 8% increase in overall Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections, from 17,933 (2001/2002) to 19,311 (2003/2004). Of these, around 40% are MRSA - making the UK's rate among the worst in Europe.

What are these countries doing to combat MRSA and healthcare-associated infection?

Some countries, such as the Netherlands and Finland, have been successful in controlling MRSA.

The Dutch have adopted a policy, known as 'search and destroy'. This involves screening patients for MRSA and isolating those found to be infected. The Dutch have also set aside a number of single rooms in hospitals to treat those with MRSA, plus there is a higher number of healthcare workers to every patient.

Most countries are adopting similar strategies to control MRSA. These include:

* Majoring on clean hospital environments and good hygiene

* Isolating infected patients

* Developing systems to detect MRSA

Looking at the data results it shows that there's a serious problem of MRSA in the UK compared to other European countries. We need to tighten up procedures in our health care system to catch up with Sweden and Finland.

Summary

We need to tackle this problem of MRSA. I have showed that we have great short comings in our hygiene regimes, that they have become more relaxed over the past years as the NHS has been stretched to its limits. We need to go back to the basics, to teaching how to wash hands properly, imply stricter visiting rules and isolate infected patients for us to catch up with countries like Sweden and Finland. This changes need to happen soon as;

As a UK tax-payer: hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA cost the NHS about £1bn per year.

As a patient: you may be at risk of infection if you attend a hospital with a high incidence of MRSA.