§ Mr. SwayneTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what chemical agents are being used within the NHS to combat MRSA. [8722]
§ Mr. HuttonThe following chemical agents that are active against methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus are currently in use in the national health service:
343WAlthough the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency has national contracts for the items listed, individual NHS trusts may buy other products containing agents that combat MRSA.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in each health authority contracted MRSA in each of the years 1995 to 2000. [9238]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 24 October 2001]: Aggregate data on numbers of incidents of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) voluntarily submitted by national health service trusts for specialist microbiological tests since 1995 are shown in the table. These data are routinely available on a regional basis only. Data on staphylococcus aureus bacteraemias (blood infections) showing the proportion resistant to methicillin in England and Wales are published quarterly by the Public Health Laboratory Service in the Communicable Disease Report. Copies of these are available in the Library. More comprehensive information about bacteraemias, including MRSA, has been collected from all acute trusts since 1 April 2001 and these data will be published from 1 April 2002.
Incidents of MRSA: 1995–98 1995 1996 1997 1998 Anglia and Oxford 142 237 297 223 North Thames 566 539 544 289 North West 65 176 259 215 Northern and Yorkshire 90 150 224 202 South and West 80 206 254 101 South Thames 377 421 385 220 Trent 52 99 123 109 West Midlands 128 121 102 69 Wales 116 158 176 169 Total 1,616 2,107 2,364 1,597 Notes:
1. Population estimates are mid-year estimates based on 1991 census data.
344W
Department of Health vacancies survey, March 2001 vacancies in NHS trusts by region and health authority areas1, radiographer three month vacancy rates2,3 and staff in post Staff in post (wte) Three month vacancy rates (Percentage) Diagnostic radiographers Therapeutic radiographers Diagnostic radiographers Therapeutic radiographers England total 9,165 1,309 4.4 8.0 Northern and Yorkshire 1,323 154 2.5 10.4 Bradford HA 114 4— 0.0 n/a Calderdale and Kirklees HA 102 4— 0.0 n/a County Durham and Darlington HA 80 4— 0.0 n/a East Riding and Hull HA 94 14 5.0 27.0 Gateshead and South Tyneside HA 68 4— 1.5 n/a Leeds HA 273 56 3.5 18.2 Newcastle and North Tyneside HA 119 44 1.2 1.1 North Cumbria HA 51 8 6.6 0.0 North Yorkshire HA 123 1 3.1 0.0 Northumberland HA 48 4— 0.6 n/a Sunderland HA 56 4— 3.4 n/a Tees HA 134 32 1.5 0.0 Wakefield HA 60 4— 7.6 n/a Trent 816 154 2.5 1.9 Barnsley HA 32 4— 0.0 n/a Doncaster HA 55 4— 0.0 n/a Leicestershire HA 127 23 0.0 4.3 Lincolnshire HA 96 31 0.0 0.0 2. For 1995 and 1996 and the first half of 1997 data have been amalgamated to the approximate boundaries of the new regional office areas. This allows for comparison with subsequent years.
Incidents of MRSA: 1999–2000 1999 2000 Eastern 80 60 London 290 170 Northern and Yorkshire 170 70 North West 180 90 South East 170 100 South West 40 10 Trent 100 30 West Midlands 30 50 Wales 130 40 Total 1,190 620 Notes:
1. Data for 2000 are complete.
2. An incident is three or more patients infected or colonised by the same strain of MRSA in the same month from the same hospital.
3. The criteria for submission of isolates of MRSA (and other isolates of staphylococcus aureus) to the Public Health Laboratory Service for specialist tests have been revised twice since 1996 (in January 1998 and in January 2000).
4. These revised criteria have led to a fall in the number of incidents of MRSA that were reported to the PHLS.