MRSA (Hansard, 23 April 2001)

§ Mr. Wilshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what MRSA infections occurring in NHS hospitals are reportable to his Department. [158291]

§ Mr. Denham
Until April this year reports of incidents of MRSA came only through specimens submitted voluntarily by trusts for specialist microbiological tests. From April 2001 all acute trusts will be required to collect data on MRSA blood stream infections and the information will be published from April 2002. Work is under way to extend the national surveillance system to cover other areas such as surgical site infections focusing initially on orthopaedic surgery.

§ Mr. Wilshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS hospitals carry out MRSA screening and which do not. [158288]

§ Mr. Denham
The information requested is not available centrally Policy on appropriate screening arrangements will vary from hospital to hospital depending on local circumstances, the nature of any infection, risk and other factors. These decisions are best determined locally.

§ Mr. Wilshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many legal cases arising from infections by MRSA while in hospital have been brought against the NHS in each of the past five years; [158286]
(2) how much compensation has been paid by the NHS to patients who have been infected by MRSA in each of the past five years. [158287]

§ Mr. Denham
The National Health Service litigation authority received reports of 70 claims between April 1995 and July 2000 where MRSA is mentioned in the incident details. The outcome of those claims is not known and so the cost of claims to the NHS cannot be quantified. Information on compensation paid specifically as a result of infect on with MRSA is not held centrally.

§ Mr. Wilshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on current research into developing new drugs that will combat MRSA and on the extent of Government funding in such research. [158290]
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§ Mr. Denham
Considerable funding is provided for research to develop new drugs by the pharmaceutical industry, including work contracted to the Public Health Laboratory Service. The main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments for disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC). In order to encourage research in the broad area of antimicrobial resistance, the MRC has issued a highlight notice welcoming proposals. My Department funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the National Health Service and will shortly publish its own call for research in the antimicrobial resistance field for which there is central funding of £2.5 million.

§ Mr. Wilshire
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a list of antibiotics that are effective against MRSA. [158289]

§ Mr. Denham
Different strains of MRSA vary in the pattern of resistance shown to other anti-staphylococcal antibiotics. Therefore, there is no definitive list of antibiotics that are effective against MRSA.
Most MRSA that occur in the United Kingdom are still sensitive to, and may be treated with, vancomycin, teicoplanin, linezolid, or quinupristin/dalfopristin. They may also be sensitive to rifampicin, fluoroquinolone antibiotics (such as ciprofloxacin), chloramphenicol and to some other antibiotics. Decisions on the antibiotic(s) appropriate for the treatment of any one patient must, therefore, depend on microbiological laboratory testing of the individual bacterium.