§ Mr. LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has collated about the incidence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus; and if he will make a statement on what steps the Government is taking to tackle MRSA. [114954]
§ Ms BlearsSince April 2001 all acute trusts in England have had to report methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus blood stream infections. Results for the first year of this scheme (April 2001 to March 2002) were published in the Communicable Disease Report Weekly on 20 June 2002 and are available on the Public Health Laboratory Service website www.phls.co.uk/publications/cdr/PDFfiles/2002/cdr2502.pdf. These data have enabled us to introduce an MRSA improvement score into the National Health Service performance management system this year to ensure that trusts investigate their MRSA levels.
As part of implementing our strategy for combating infectious diseases "Getting Ahead of the Curve" a targeted action plan on healthcare associated infection is being developed.