MRSA (Hansard, 8 September 2004)

§ Andrew Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whet her a voluntary reporting system by hospitals in Northern Ireland of MRSA cases is in place. [184777]

§ Angela Smith
In April 2002 the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety made it a mandatory requirement for acute Trusts to report MRSA bacteraemia rates. The data is collected, collated and analysed by the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. Northern Ireland (CDSC) and statistical reports for the first two years of operation are available from its website www.cdscni.org. A copy of this report has been placed in the House Library.

§ Andrew Mackinlay
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether hospitals in Northern Ireland are required to destroy bed linen of MRSA sufferers after use; and if he will make a statement. [184789]
1325W

§ Angela Smith
The UK-wide MRSA Control Guidelines for hospitals do not require bed linen to be destroyed. It should be bagged according to the hospital laundry policy and machine washed on a hot wash setting.