MRSA Action UK: Failure to reduce Government MRSA target by half

Today the 17TH July 2008 the Health Protection Agency has released the recorded numbers of healthcare infections between April 2007and March 2008. This is a significant date for people who have suffered from a Healthcare Infection, this was the Watershed for the Government to achieve the 50% reduction in MRSA bacteraemia’s set by the former Health Secretary John Reid in March 2004.

John Reid, the Health Secretary at that time, had made a promise that things would improve and that this was a priority for the Labour Government. Since his announcement, we have had initiative after initiative from this Government in what they proclaimed would be a concerted effort to reduce the incidence of patients contracting healthcare acquired infections.

Today the Health Secretary Alan Johnson MP is quoted as saying that the latest figures are a “remarkable achievement with our challenging target now within touching distance.”

MRSA Action UK are reminded of a similar comment regarding the “Deep Clean” initiative when he said that we are very close to achieving our target of every hospital completing the “Deep Clean” in March of this year. Evidence since uncovered has shown the “Deep Clean” to be a sham in that 85% of trusts did not do the “Deep Clean” thoroughly or correctly.

A staggering 68 NHS hospital trusts who had the higher numbers of MRSA bloodstream infections between April 2007 and March 2008 have not reduced the numbers of people suffering from MRSA to half the 2004 rate.

These figures account for just 6% of healthcare acquired infections, and do not include wound or infections introduced by cannula and other invasive devices, the mortality and illness caused is not something for Health Minister Alan Johnson or this Government to be proud of. There is a long way to go before he can say we have only just missed the target, when it is 13.25% off the target for reducing MRSA bacteraemias, that percentage alone equates to 10,000 people being adversely affected or dying from a healthcare acquired infection.

Those 68 trusts had almost 3,000 cases of the recorded bloodstream infections, multiplied by the 6% that the National Audit Office have recorded as the meagre estimate of those affected, this equates to over 50,000 people being affected by a healthcare associated infection this year alone.

Our analysis of the data released shows that it is a lottery when going into hospital with respect to the risks of acquiring healthcare infections, because whilst some trusts have improved our dissemination of the numbers shows a different story. In spite of the proclamation from the Health Secretary of how well this Government and the NHS has performed in the reductions in infections, the figures themselves show that over 60% of hospitals trusts failed to meet the 50% reduction target for MRSA.

While we welcome any reduction in infections in our hospitals, the true analysis of the figures shows that the Government and the NHS are still a long way from being able to say we have begun to win this battle. Clostridium diffilce remains a major concern to our Charity and the Government have made no mention of Glycopeptide Resistant Entrococcal (GRE) bacteraemia. This bacteria has the potential to make MRSA and C-diff pale into insignificance if it becomes as endemic in our hospitals. This bacteria is resistant to the last group of antibiotics we have remaining to combat MRSA and C-diff in the Antibiotic of last resort Vancomycin.

For lethality, the Government target is not challenging, and these targets should be easily achievable if an effective systematic approach of Search and Destroy was implemented. The only way to deal with these bacteria is to isolate and destroy, and we are not equipped to do that. It is time the Government recognised this and stopped taking a piecemeal approach with populist initiatives that are not saving lives.


Derek Butler
Chair
MRSA Action UK
Registered Charity No 1115672
Tel No 07762 741114

http://mrsaactionuk.net