MRSA (Hansard, 7 February 2005)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)
My Lords, under the voluntary reporting system then in existence it is clear that the proportion of MRSA isolates in bloodstream infections increased from 4 per cent to 30 per cent from 1993 to 1997. The full national picture became known only after this Government introduced mandatory surveillance of MRSA with effect from April 2001. The data from mandatory reporting have been published from the outset to assist the NHS in tackling this difficult problem.

§ Lord Rosser
My Lords, if my noble friend is saying that there was a rapid increase in MRSA in the years immediately prior to 1997 and that the then government did not demand to know the full picture, does he share my view that their recent attempts to blame others is a clear-cut case of the Official Opposition seeking to sweep their full responsibility for the increase in MRSA under the hospital bed?

§ Lord Warner
My Lords, it is a normal convention that governments are not allowed to see papers relating to previous administrations. However, it is very difficult to escape the conclusion that the Official Opposition did not have their eye on the ball on this issue before 1997. I think that my noble friend's comments are a fair summary of the position.

§ Lord Tebbit
My Lords, can the Minister say whether a general election is coming shortly?

§ Lord Warner
My Lords, I am very ill informed on the matter.

§ Baroness Pitkeathley
My Lords, does my noble friend agree that not only has there been a huge increase in the awareness of hospital staff of problems associated with MRSA, hut also a concentration on making visitors to wards aware of the necessity to take proper hygiene precautions? I have been very struck by that when visiting hospitals recently.

§ Lord Warner
My Lords, my noble friend is absolutely right. We have introduced the "Clean Your Hands" campaign which is improving hand hygiene. We have raised awareness by publishing information rather than, as my noble friend said, sweeping the problem under the bed. There is a rising public consciousness, and a consciousness among staff, of the importance of cleanliness and good cross-infection control.

§ Lord St John of Bletso
My Lords, what are the Government doing to control the misuse of antibiotics; and what are medical staff doing to ensure containment of the disease?

§ Lord Warner
My Lords, the Chief Medical Officer published his document Winning Ways in December 2003. That set out an action plan in this area, including better control of use of antibiotics so that we did not stimulate this very clever bacteria to modify itself further.

§ Earl Howe
My Lords, is the Minister aware that the Health Protection Agency has stated: Nearly three out of every four NHS Trusts with the worst rates of MRSA … have bed occupancy levels exceeding that deemed safe by the Health Protection Agency".? Why does the Minister think that is? Could it possibly be because, as the National Audit Office recently put it, the increased throughput of patients to meet performance targets has resulted in considerable pressure towards higher bed occupancy, which is not always consistent with good infection control"?

§ Lord Warner
My Lords, this Government are proud that they have had some targets—which the Official Opposition wish to sweep away, I understand—which have reduced waiting lists and enabled people in pain, who are suffering and possibly dying, to get into hospital faster. We do not think that there is any conflict between good cross-infection control and good bed management. We have made it clear to trusts and chief executives that they are expected to control both those agendas in the interests of patients.

§ Lord Dixon-Smith
My Lords—

§ Baroness Gardner of Parkes
My Lords—

§ Baroness Barker
My Lords—

§ Lord Ashley of Stoke
My Lords—

§ The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos)
My Lords, we have yet to hear from the Liberal Democrat Benches.

§ Baroness Barker
My Lords, given the Secretary of State's stated expectation that MRSA rates will halve by 2008, what resources have been given to NHS trusts to implement the new model cleaning contract that he announced in December 2004?

§ Lord Warner
My Lords, under this Government NHS allocations have increased over the past couple of years, and for another two to three years will continue to increase on average by about 7.1 per cent in real terms—an unprecedented level of extra funding. After the 2000 NHS Plan we also introduced an extra £68 million for cleaning. We accept that the cost-cutting measures on contracting out carried out by the Official Opposition in the 1980s have not helped hospital cleaning.

§ Lord Ashley of Stoke
My Lords, while the hand-washing campaign is very important, I have seen one report which indicates that even hospitals with the highest hygiene standards have some of the highest rates of MRSA. What conclusion does the Minister draw from that and what lessons can be learned?

§ Lord Warner
My Lords, it is true that we have a particularly difficult strain of MRSA in this country. However, healthcare-acquired infection rates in this country are not very different from those across Europe. We are continuing to battle against MRSA. The NHS is now responding to the lead given by the Government in this particular area.

§ Baroness Gardner of Parkes
My Lords, does the Minister recall our recent debate when, on that very day, the Secretary of State demonstrated a brand-new machine that was going to vacuum up MRSA and solve the problem? How many of those machines have now been introduced and into how many hospitals?

§ Lord Warner
My Lords, I obviously have the sort of collective amnesia that sometimes afflicts the Opposition on the NHS. I do not remember that particular event. I can tell the noble Baroness that we introduced the Rapid Review Panel, which has considered 58 products that have come forward from industry. We have announced the results of that review and are making the best and most effective products available to the NHS through framework contracts via the Purchasing and Supply Agency.

§ Lord Dixon-Smith
My Lords—

§ Lord Phillips of Sudbury
My Lords, as one who contracted MRSA in an excellent hospital years ago, is it possible—I was certainly given the impression there that it was the case—that there are far too many impositions and interferences in hospital management centrally—I am talking not just about this government but all governments—and that we might get further with fighting MRSA if the hospitals were left with more of the initiative?

§ Lord Warner
Well, my Lords, that is why the Government are shifting the balance of power. We have made guidance and money available and have given a clear lead in the area of cleanliness and MRSA. 540 It is down to trust boards and chief executives, working with their staff, to ensure that those problems are addressed.

§ Lord Dixon-Smith
My Lords—

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, next Question.