The stronger MRSA

Its still lurking under the hospital bed and stronger than ever .

Something is wrong in the theory of HOW to defeat it !!!



Survey exposes NHS hygiene failings as superbug thrives

· Limited access to soap and water for 39% of staff
· Lack of infection control training highlighted

Wednesday March 22, 2006

Nearly 40% of NHS staff do not have constant access to the hot water, soap, paper towels and alcohol rubs needed to prevent the spread of the MRSA superbug, the health inspectorate warned last night.
The problem emerged in the Healthcare Commission's annual survey, published today, based on replies from 209,000 employees in 570 NHS trusts in England. One in four said trusts did not do enough to promote the importance of hand-cleaning to staff, patients and visitors.
Karen Jennings, head of health at the public service union Unison, said: "It seems incredible, when the risk of cross-infection in hospitals is so high, that two out of five staff still do not have access to basic hot water, soap and paper towels or alcohol rubs ... it is shameful that nearly a half of all staff have still not had any training in infection control."
Some 61% of those surveyed did say that hygiene materials were always available when needed. But this fell as low as 46% at Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals in the London borough of Enfield, where concern about low standards of cleanliness was a big issue at the general election last year. At Great Ormond Street children's hospital 50% of staff were satisfied that the basic materials for effective hygiene were always available. Among ambulance staff the proportion fell to 38% in London and 37% in the Two Shires service covering Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire. The commission said that across England 28% of NHS staff claimed hygiene materials were available most of the time, but not always. Only 1% said they were never available.
Anna Walker, chief executive of the commission, said: "It is worrying that a small but significant minority of staff reported that adequate hand-cleaning facilities were not always available when needed, both for themselves and for patients and others." She said the commission would investigate trusts' performance as part of an annual check on whether they comply with core standards.
Latest figures from the Department of Health showed MRSA infection rates were increasing in spite of tougher hygiene standards introduced by John Reid when health secretary. In the six months to September 3,580 patients became ill from bloodstream infections, compared with 3,525 in the same period of 2004.
The survey found 52% of staff had had training in infection control in the past 12 months, and a further 17% at some time before that. Some 40% of all staff reported seeing at least one potentially harmful error, near-miss, or incident which could have hurt staff or patients in the previous month, compared with 47% when the same question was asked in 2003.
The proportion of NHS staff experiencing violence or abuse in the previous 12 months fell to 28% last year, compared with 32% in 2003. But only half thought their trust would take effective action if an employee was physically attacked.
A Department of Health spokesman said: "We are pleased that nearly 90% of staff felt hand-hygiene facilities were available either always or most of the time and that staff recognise their importance in reducing infections. We are now legislating to put a code of practice and a tougher inspection regime into law to drive up standards of hygiene and infection control, with ultimate sanctions for trusts who fail to deliver."