§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance is available to(a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) other healthcare personnel on preventing the spread of MRSA in hospitals in Northern Ireland. [158872]
§ Angela SmithThe Chief Medical Officer issued guidance to the Northern Ireland health service on MRSA and the management and control of hospital infection, and on resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial agents, in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Leaflets and pamphlets on MRSA are also available from the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for patients and their relatives, and in the form of guidelines for residential and nursing home staff for the management of residents with MRSA. The Department issued an Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan in 2002 and is taking forward many of its recommendations. Professional journals such as that of the Hospital Infection Society are also a valuable resource for healthcare personnel in their efforts to prevent the spread of MRSA and similar nosocomial infections.
§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have died from MRSA in each hospital in Northern Ireland since 2000; what steps he is taking to reduce such deaths; and if he will make a statement. [158876]
§ Angela SmithThe information requested is not available.
Surveillance, which is an important tool in the fight against infection, is quantified in Northern Ireland by the reports of MRSA blood cultures published by the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. Its second annual report, for 2002–03, indicated that the overall rate of patient episodes of MRSA bacteraemias in acute hospital trusts showed a slight reduction, from 218 to 228 over the previous year while 39.1 per cent. of staphylococcus aureus patient episodes were MRSA compared to 39 per cent. These figures compare favourably with England and Scotland.
Considerable resources have been devoted to addressing nosocomial infections, including MRSA, in the last three years. Hand hygiene has been particularly encouraged in hospitals. Figures indicate that there are currently 15 per cent. fewer prescriptions being written for antibiotic drugs than there were in 1998.