§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Communicable Disease
822W(b) the Treasure Valuation Committee were on 1 January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated. [151820]
§ Mr. CabornThe information requested is shown in the following tables.
Surveillance Centre of the Health Protection Agency has in place a mechanism for collecting the number of deaths associated with (a) bloodstream infections and (b) MRSA. [145041]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe Health Protection Agency operates the national mandatory surveillance system for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections and this does not include information on deaths. Collecting data on deaths is not practical for routine reporting as aggregated data rather than individual patient data are collected. Currently mortality information can only be provided by enhanced surveillance or special studies.
Death certificates are designed to identify the underlying cause of death rather than track healthcare associated infections (HCAIs). The new action plan to reduce healthcare associated infections, Winning Ways, includes a commitment to set up a national audit of deaths from HCAIs.