MRSA Action UK: Healthcare Infections - a Manifesto for 2010

Tuesday, 6 October 2009 12:00 AM

MRSA Action UK has heard from the main parties over the last few weeks on plans for our NHS, and this week was the turn of the Conservatives. We are heartened by the commitment to a zero tolerance approach to healthcare infections cited this week by the Conservative Shadow Health Secretary, and we now need to see how removing Labour's political targets will influence patient outcomes, as we know that the MRSA target did focus hearts and minds in many of our NHS hospitals. Now we need to know how that will be extended beyond bloodstream infections, which account for only a tiny proportion of the problems with Healthcare Infections that the NHS and patients are facing.

Since the publication of our first Manifesto in September 2008 there have been many changes in the NHS and some considerable progress made towards conquering the problem of healthcare associated infections. There is also a growing recognition of the need to tackle the issue of antimicrobial resistance. With the prospect of a General Election next year and time for pledges to be made, it is time to look at what more needs to be done to tackle healthcare associated infections. We need cross party support to ensure that preventing avoidable healthcare infections remains a top priority.

We are heartened to see that it is acknowledged that no-one is immune from the global pandemic of hospital and community acquired infections that can cause so much suffering to those who are unfortunate enough to succumb to disease caused by infections, and the heartache of those families that have lost a loved one.

We want to see even more investment put into keeping the bacteria at bay and raising public awareness so that far fewer people will be left with the lifetime legacy caused by preventable and life-threatening infections.

The target to reduce MRSA by half the 2004 level was we believe long overdue, and at the time thought to be unachievable by many NHS Trusts. MRSA Action UK has always believed it was achievable and that this could be greatly improved upon.

Many NHS Trusts have worked hard with strong leadership and support from Strategic Health Authorities they made great strides, and saved lives by reducing avoidable healthcare infections.

There are however still some Trusts that have not reduced the burden, in fact only around 25% of Trusts have made the largest improvement, the Government do right to praise those who have done well, but need to take a firmer line where we are not seeing the improvements needed to save lives. If Boards will not take their responsibilities seriously then action must be taken to see that they do, front line staff must be supported.

No-one should be subjected to a second class service, no matter where they live or choose to have an operation. There is still a long way to go before we reach the standards of our Northern European neighbours and we are beginning to learn from their search and destroy strategies, but we need to fully adopt their approach if we are to halt the spread of antimicrobial resistant pathogens across Europe and the UK.

We wish the Government and whoever is elected at the end of this term to invest and to build on the success and great achievements of the successful NHS Trusts and to continue this focus by pledging to:

·empower all healthcare providers to adopt a zero tolerance approach to avoidable healthcare infections across the healthcare economy through investment in resources and technologies

·publish the mandatory collection of data on surgical site infections in this financial year, and introduce a target to reduce these, with year on year reductions in each clinical setting

·publish MRSA bacteraemias, Clostridium difficile, surgical site, urinary and catheter infections on a hospital basis to inform patient choice

·improve performance reporting, providing clarity on what is being done to address NHS Trusts who are not reducing healthcare associated infections as quickly as they should

·introduce legislation and regulation for recording healthcare associated infections on death certificates in accordance with Office of National Statistics guidelines

·introduce a compensation scheme for patients when things have gone wrong as a consequence of contracting avoidable healthcare infections, giving access to legal aid

·invest in research into the lasting effects of healthcare associated infections on survivors, and provide better access to support services and benefits for sufferers

·work collaboratively with the EU to identify strategies for tackling the problem of antimicrobial resistance across the wider healthcare economy, in care homes and in the community

·introduce education and advertising campaigns on the importance of hand hygiene and the need to be judicious in the use of antibiotics

·fully implement the Search, Isolate and Destroy strategy, now being effectively used in Northern Europe

To read a full copy of MRSA Action UK's manifesto visit http://mrsaactionuk.net/manifesto.html

Derek Butler

Chair

MRSA Action UK

derek.butler@mrsaactionuk.net

Telephone: 07762 741114

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