§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services in what ways advice is given by his Departmental officers to health authorities about cleansing, disinfection and sterilisation; and on how many occasions his officials have advised private cleaning companies, awarded contracts in National Health Service hospitals, about methods of preventing hospital infection.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe issue guidance on these matters in circulars and other publications, contribute to training courses and seminars and reply to specific inquiries.
Private cleaning companies do seek advice from time to time but we do not record the number of occasions. We advise them to consult the health authority's control of infection officers concerning local policies and procedures.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services in what ways his Department monitors outbreaks of hospital-acquired infection; and how many outbreaks have been reported to his Department in each year since 1979.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe do not collect centrally regular information on outbreaks of hospital infection. There are, however, statutory requirements for reporting notifiable diseases, whether or not they arise in hospitals.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated cost to the National Health Service of hospital-acquired infection.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeWe have not attempted to estimate the cost of hospital-acquired infection.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his current estimate of the percentage of hospital patients who suffer an infection acquired while they are in hospital; and on what evidence his estimate is based.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe 1981 public health laboratory service prevalence study of hospital acquired infection indicated that some 19.1 per cent. of patients surveyed in hospital were infected. About half of these infections had been acquired before entry to hospital. The definition of infection used in this study included minor as well as serious conditions. By no means all of the infections identified would have been preventable.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will request health authorities to submit an annual report on the incidence of hospital-acquired infections in their area and to identify separately cases of Legionnaire's disease.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeNo. We do, however, expect most serious outbreaks of infection, wherever they occur, to be reported to the public health laboratory service.
As I explained in my reply to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 20 May at 228W columns 317–8 arrangements have been made for the communicable diseases surveillance centre to inform us of all confirmed cases of legionnaire's disease.