HL Deb 25 February 1987 vol 485 cc200-1

2.46 p.m.

Baroness Masham of Ilton

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government to what extent multi-resistant and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) also known as Super Staph, has spread in hospitals in London and throughout the United Kingdom.

Baroness Trumpington

My Lords, MRSA has spread widely throughout hospitals in London and to a much lesser extent elsewhere. For the edification of your Lordships, I have placed a copy of a fact sheet on MRSA in the Library today.

Baroness Masham of Ilton

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that worrying Answer. May I ask whether she is satisfied that infection control throughout our hospitals is good enough; for instance, nurses and doctors washing their hands between visiting each patient? Also, is she aware that MRSA puts great additional strain on wards serving surgical patients and other at-risk patients?

Baroness Trumpington

My Lords, high standards of hygiene for both patients and staff are very important for control. All staff and patients moving between hospitals known to have a current outbreak of MRSA should be checked to see whether they are carriers. Thorough cleaning of infected wards is an important preventative measure. Infection control nurses have an increasingly vital role to play in the maintenance of hygiene standards. Their primary duty is the prevention of infection in hospitals through effective liaison with all levels of hospital staff, including the organisation of training programmes for health care workers.

Lord Hunter of Newington

My Lords, may I ask the Minister what part is played in a matter such as this by the Health and Safety Executive?

Baroness Trumpington

My Lords, your Lordships will, of course, be aware that the law on Crown immunity has been changed. Environmental health officers will be visiting hospitals as they have always had the right to do in the past. But it would be only sensible for hospitals themselves to take all possible precautions and, of course, to accept any expert advice that is offered to them.

Lord Ennals

My Lords, can the noble Baroness confirm that 32 London hospitals have been directly affected by MRSA? I wonder whether she can say how many people have died across the country in the last three years or so—or any other period that it suits her to tell us about—from this very disturbing infectious disease.

Baroness Trumpington

My Lords, the present position is that 70 hospitals have reported isolated MRSA. About 12 hospitals have a continuing and serious problem. Although MRSA has spread, it has done so fairly slowly and some hospitals appear to have been able to contain and eradicate the strain. Sporadic MRSA of other types continues to occur at a low frequency.

Lord Ennals

My Lords, may we know the number of deaths?

Baroness Trumpington

My Lords, I do not have the exact number of deaths. If the noble Lord wishes, I shall write to him. However, I believe that there were very few.

Lord Leatherland

My Lords, may I ask the noble Baroness whether she can tell us the symptoms of this disease?

Baroness Trumpington

My Lords, perhaps I may write to the noble Lord. Alternatively, I suggest that he looks at the fact sheet.

Baroness Masham of Ilton

My Lords, is it the case that MRSA can transfer its multi-resistant properties to other bacteria?

Baroness Trumpington

My Lords, I can tell the House why some strains have become resistant to antibiotics, if that is helpful. A naturally occurring strain of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus was identified in 1960, sometimes in populations that had not been exposed to methicillin. Many staphylococci produce enzymes which destroy antibiotics. A few of these have altered cell wall structures, which makes them resistant to antibiotics such as methicillin. Once again, let me refer the noble Baroness to the fact sheet, which I believe she will find to be very useful.