York superbug cases decline (From York Press)

York superbug cases decline

1:10pm Wednesday 24th December 2008 in

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CASES of a potentially fatal superbug have been slashed significantly at York Hospital following a sudden upsurge earlier this year.

In July, The Press revealed that nine cases of MRSA had been reported at the Wigginton Road site between April and June – in comparison to only one case during the same period in 2007.

Hospital bosses told The Press in July that patients were treated promptly in isolated bays and infection control practices had been tightened.

Today, the latest figures from the Health Protection Agency have revealed the number of cases of MRSA fell to just two between July and September.

With no further cases reported since then, York Hospital is now back on track to stay within the Government-set threshold of 16 cases between April 2008 and March 2009.

The news comes as Sir Richard Branson, the recently-appointed vice-president of the Patients Association, called on the Government to take a tougher line on infection control.

He said that all hospital staff should be screened for MRSA, and treated immediately if infected.

Libby McManus, chief nurse for York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Following a spike in the number of cases earlier this year, we have made significant progress through improved clinical practice, for example, focusing on hand hygiene with weekly hand hygiene audits and introducing a ‘bare below the elbows’ policy for hospital clinical staff.

“As a result of this, we have seen a reduction in the number of patients with MRSA bacteraemia in the latest quarterly figures, and so far for this quarter (October to December) we have had no cases.

“This is a trend that we hope will continue, and it is a real demonstration of our commitment to keeping our patients safe.”

City of York councillor Sandy Fraser, chairman of the health scrutiny committee and a governor at York Hospital, welcomed news of the decline in MRSA cases.

He said: “The fact that they have been able to pull back from the peak shows that the hard work staff have been putting in has borne fruit.

“York people who are attending the hospital for treatment can be confident that every step possible has been taken to minimise the risk of hospital-acquired infections.”

Coun Madeleine Kirk, who also sits on the hospital’s board of governors, urged visitors to play their part in helping staff reduce infections.

Coun Kirk said: “As soon as you walk into the hospital there are alcohol gel dispensers and these are also installed throughout the hospital.

“It is really important for everybody who comes into the hospital to use this gel, even if they haven’t come to visit a patient.”