§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of deaths were officially recorded as being a result of a hospital acquired or secondary infection in each year since 1997–98; and how many people were recorded as having died from such causes in each of those years. [108642]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Fox, dated 10 April 2003:
As National Statistician, 1 have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what percentage of deaths were officially recorded as being a result of a hospital acquired or secondary infection in each year since 1997–98; and how many people were recorded as having died from such causes in each of those years. (108642)As indicated in the answer to your previous question number 107729, Official Report 80, Column 145, it is not possible to give reliable figures on the number of deaths involving hospital-acquired infections from routinely collected mortality data, as information on where the infection was acquired may not be available to the doctor certifying the death.