§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has evaluated of the development of antibiotic resistance among those working in hospitals and other medical estabishments. [49077]
§ Ms JowellWe are not aware of any systematic study which would show whether healthcare personnel are more prone to harbour resistant bacteria than other groups.
The risk of healthcare personnel becoming colonised, via patient contact, with antibiotic resistant pathogens, and of the transfer from one patient to another, is one we take seriously. Keeping this risk to a minimum is one reason why effective infection control practices are imperative.