§ 20. Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make it compulsory for methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus to be included on death certificates in cases where it is likely to have been a cause of death. [72396]
§ Ms JowellNo. Doctors are required to complete the medical certificate of cause of death to the best of their knowledge. It is not always clear if Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus has been a cause of death or contributed to it, but if the certifying doctor considers it was, this should be recorded on the certificate.
§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to assist hospitals to prevent incidents of MRSA. [73344]
§ Ms JowellThe Department has a wide range of activity underway to improve the control of hospital infections including methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus. Details are given in the section "Infection Control" in the Government response to "The House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology Report: Resistance to Antibiotics and Other Antimicrobial Agents CM4172", which was published on 17 December 1998, copies of which are available in the Library. A Health Service Circular will soon be issued asking the National Health Service to strengthen measures to prevent and control antibiotic resistant infections.