§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what estimates he has made of the incidence of MRSA in Welsh hospitals; when he last issued guidelines with respect to information to be supplied between hospitals as regards incidence of MRSA when patients are being transported between hospitals and in other circumstances relevant to the spread of infection; and if he will make a statement; [10656]
(2) what guidelines he has issued to hospitals, as regards the information to be supplied to (a) health authorities, (b) fundholders and (c) community health councils concerning (i) the incidence of MRSA, (ii) precautionary measures to be taken with respect to reducing the spread of MRSA and (iii) prescribing policies of general practitioners and hospital physicians; and what other steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of the MRSA virus. [10657]
§ Mr. HagueLast year, the Chief Medical Officer in the Welsh Office invited the Public Health Laboratory Service in Wales to undertake a surveillance project on MRSA in Wales.
Revised guidance on hospital infection control management arrangements, which includes new advice on the surveillance of MRSA, was issued to the NHS in Wales in June 1995.
My Department has commended to the NHS guidance issued in 1986 and 1990, by the Hospital Infection Society and the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy on methods for the control of the spread of MRSA. This emphasises the need for effective communication between relevant parties when managing an infectious disease.
The Department has not issued any formal prescribing guidelines regarding MRSA. However, policies and procedures developed at health authority level are available to all provider units.