§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Belfast, East of 3 July,Official Report, column 1425W, on hospital infections, (1) how many cases were reported in each year since 1996, broken down by (a) trust and (b) pathogenic organism; [124887]
(2) pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Belfast, East of 3 July, Official Report, column 485W, on hospital infections, when a mandatory surveillance scheme for each health care associated infection will be introduced; and in each case whether it will be collected and published, broken down by Trust. [124899]
§ Miss Melanie Johnson[holding answer 10 July 2003]: Data on hospital infections by trust are only available for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections. Information from 1996 is not available, as this first phase of the mandatory surveillance system for healthcare associated infection started in2001. Results for the first year of this scheme (April 2001 to March 2002) were published by individual Trust in the Communicable Disease Report Weekly on 20 June 2002. They are available at www.phls.co.uk/ publications/cdr/PDFfiles/2002/cdr2502.pdf. Results by individual trust for the second year will be published shortly.
As hospital acquired infections are caused by a variety of micro-organisms and range from the trivial to serious there will not be mandatory reporting for all infections. The national mandatory surveillance scheme was developed on the basis of expert advice and will concentrate on those infections that cause significant serious morbidity such as blood stream infections.
645WThe second phase of the mandatory scheme will be introduced this September, when trusts will have to report blood stream infections due to glycopeptide resistant enterococci and serious untoward incidents associated with infection. Reporting of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea will be the third phase and this is scheduled to begin next year.
§ John AustinTo ask the Secreta ry of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the impact of the architecture, physical construction and design of hospitals on preventing the spread of micro-organisms between wards and within wards; and if he will make a statement; [124903]
(2) what research he has recently assessed on the effects of the architecture, physical construction and design of hospitals in preventing the spread of microorganisms between wards and within wards; and if this research has been published. [124904]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonMany factors influence infection control. Current standards already require prevention and control of infection to be considered when planning engineering and building works. The Chief Medical Officer is spearheading a new Government drive to tackle healthcare associated infections; especially those acquired in hospitals. A long-term strategy to prevent and reduce infections in the National Health Service will be published in the autumn.
NHS Estates has funded a number of studies in this area. Those which have been completed are available from the NHS Estates website at www.nhsestates. gov.uk.
§ Mr. Paul BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) nosocomial deaths and (b) cases of necrotising fasciitis there were in the NHS in (i) England and (ii) each NHS region in each year since 1997. [125018]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThese data are not collected centrally