HC Deb 07 September 2004 vol 424 cc1139-40W
Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of hospital-acquired infection were recorded(a) at each hospital and (b) within each health and social services board area in Northern Ireland in each of the last four years. [186601]

Angela Smith

There were 228 reports of patient episodes of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections in Northern Ireland in 2001–02 and 218 in 2002–03. The figures for 2003–04 will be available shortly. Records of such reports are maintained on an acute hospital trust basis and are set out in the following tables along with a breakdown by health and social services board. Earlier data and data for other infections are not available.

Table 1: Number of MRSA patient episodes by acute hospital trust
Acute hospital trust 2001–02 2002–03
Altnagelvin Group 22 13
Belfast City Hospital 55 46
Causeway 8 9
Craigavon Area Hospital Group 13 16
Down Lisburn 10 8
Green Park Healthcare 2 4
Mater Infirmorum Hospital 16 19
Newry and Mourne 6 4
Royal Group of Hospitals 40 26
Sperrin Lakeland 5 9
Ulster Community and Hospitals 17 29
United Hospitals Group 34 35

Table 2: Number of MRSA patient episodes by health board
Health and social service, board 2001–02 2002–03
Northern 42 44
Southern 19 20
Eastern 140 132
Western 27 22