§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of recorded MRSA patients in NHS hospitals in each of the last five years; how many and what proportion of NHS hospitals recorded MRSA outbreaks; and how many and what proportion of NHS hospitals have full-time staff dedicated to the prevention and control of MRSA and related infections. [95661]
449W
§ Yvette CooperMRSA infection is not a notifiable disease and therefore the total number of patients in National Health Service hospitals who have MRSA is not recorded centrally. The Public Health Laboratory Service compiles aggregate data on numbers of incidents of MRSA which are reported by trusts. The available data on the incidents of MRSA are given in the table. The number of NHS acute trusts recording MRSA outbreaks are not collected centrally. All NHS acute trusts should have an infection control team which has primary responsibility for, and reports to the chief executive on, all aspects of surveillance, prevention and control of infection, including MRSA. The structure of infection control teams is a matter for local management discretion. Details of the number of whole time equivalent staff dedicated to the prevention and control of MRSA and related infections are not available centrally.
Incidents1 of MRSA in England and Wales 1994–1998 Year Total 1994 1,064 1995 1,616 1996 2,107 1997 22,364 1998 31,597 1 An incident is three or more patients infected or colonised by the same strain of MRSA in the same month from the same hospital 2 The figures for 1997 and 1998 reflect the new NHS 3 The criteria for submission of isolates for specialist tests were revised in December 1997