Leatherhead Matters

Data released by the EARSS (European Anti Microbial Resistance Surveillance System) reports that the incidence of MRSA in NHS hospitals was 12.5 (cases per 100,000 patient days). This compares to an infection rate of only 3.8 for the rest of Europe. In fact, only Malta & Portugal have a worse record vs the NHS. The full EARSS report can be downloaded HERE (NB file is 6.5mb).

A contributory factor to this appalling record may well be the Government’s target driven management of the NHS. In trying to achieve Government waiting time targets the NHS has implemented various practices to speed patients through hospitals. The consequence is that the UK has the shortest (median) in-patient stay in Europe of 3.5 days…… almost half the in-patient stay for the rest of Europe (median of 6.5 days for 29 countries). Although the report does not comment on this, almost certainly this rapid bed swapping gives insufficient time for proper cleansing of rooms/wards.

The data in the EARSS report clearly shows that, across Europe, hospitals are fighting a difficult, infection control battle as antimicrobial resistance to existing treatments  increases. This suggests that anti biotic treatment should be a last resort and infection control (hygiene, cleansing, patient isolation) should be the the absolute priority in our hospitals. Something that the Government’s targets on waiting time do not take into account.

Strange that, with the Government’s obsession with league tables, there appears to have been silence on this European MRSA league table!

H/T Fraser Nelson (Spectator Coffee House)