HC Deb 24 July 1978 vol 954 cc548-9W
Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the average number of operations performed in Great Britain annually and the average number of surgical wound infections.

Mr. Moyle

2,503,420 principal operations were performed in 1975, the most recent year for which statistics are at present available. I regret that information on the number of surgical wound infections in the same or other years is not available centrally.

Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many hospital departments or units have had to be closed because of surgical wound infections in each of the last five years.

Mr. Moyle

I regret that this information is not available centrally.

Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action was taken following the report on the "Incidence of Surgical Wound Infection in England and Wales" by the Public Health Laboratory Service in 1960.

Mr. Moyle

The principal outcome of the report was the establishment of control of infection committees in district general hospitals and the appointment of control of infection officers and, in some hospitals, of control of infection nurses.

Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of patients who have died in each of the last five years from surgical wound infections.

Mr. Moyle

The information requested is not readily available and could not be obtained without a disproportionate use of time and resources.

Mr. Ashley

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now initiate a special departmental study into the incidence of surgical infections and the best means of reducing it.

Mr. Moyle

The greater part of Government supported research into surgical infections is undertaken by the Medical Research Council with financial support from the health departments and the Department of Education and Science. Work in this field is in progress at the Medical Research Council industrial injuries and burns unit at the Birmingham accident hospital and at the Clinical Research Centre, Northwick Park. In addition the Medical Research Council is carrying out trials of ultra-clean air systems in operating theatres to determine whether a significant reduction in wound sepsis rates for clean selective operations can be effected. A constant review of this field of research is maintained in order to assess the need for further specific research projects.