§ Andrew MackinlayTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will investigate the practice at Frimley Park Hospital of not recording MRSA on death certificates where it was the cause or a contributory cause of death; and if he will make a statement. [184667]
§ Ruth KellyThe information requested falls within the responsibility of the Registrar General for England and Wales, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Andrew Mackinlay, dated 21 July 2004:
As Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking if the Chancellor will investigate the practice at Frimley Park Hospital of not recording MRSA on death certificates where it was the cause or a contributory cause of death. (184667)
The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 places an individual responsibility on the medical practitioner in attendance on the deceased to certify the cause of death to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, rather than on any organisation. The Registrar General has no specific power to instigate an inquiry into an accusation of this nature. Coroners can only investigate where a death is referred to them.
The Government published a position paper on death certification and Investigation in March 2004 outlining proposals for reform. In the interim, the General Register Office will be issuing guidance to all doctors on the best practice for death certification under current legislation. This will remind them of their duty to certify the cause of death to the best of their knowledge and belief, recording each condition which contributed to the death.
There were 7 deaths in Frimley Park Hospital in the years 2000 to 2002 where the cause of death was wholly or partly attributable to MRSA1.
1Identified using the methodology described in Griffiths C, Lamagni TL, Crowcroft NS, Duckworth G and Rooney C (2004) Trends in MRSA in England and Wales: analysis of morbidity and mortality data for 1993–2002. Health Statistics Quarterly 21, 15–22.