MRSA rates at West Suffolk Hospital among region’s lowest

April 30, 2003

Infection control procedures in place at West Suffolk Hospital have been  successful in consistently reducing the rate of MRSA (methicillin-resistant  staphylococcus  aureus) bloodstream infection over the past year.

The Trust now has the second lowest infection rate of any acute hospital in  the Eastern region. The rate of MRSA bloodstream infections currently stand at 0.05 per 1,000 bed days, compared to 0.15 a year ago - a reduction from about 10 patients affected per quarter in 2001 to the present rate of about four.

"The MRSA bloodstream infection rate at the West Suffolk Hospital has reduced because of the  success of the infection control procedures we now have in place," said Dr  Liz Wright, Consultant Microbiologist and Infection Control Doctor.

"We introduced a new policy a year ago which has given a fresh momentum to our control procedures. Since January 2002 we have seen a consistent downward trend in the number of MRSA bloodstream infections. Keeping the bugs at bay is hard work, but these results are gratifying and show that the quality of patient care is improving."

More money allocated early in the year has meant growth for the Infection Control Team at the West Suffolk Hospital. There are now two full time infection control nurses and a part time audit and surveillance nurse.

This growth has enabled the Team to develop and improve the education of all Trust staff in the prevention of hospital acquired infection and so improve the quality of care given to patients.  The Team has also produced new policies and guidelines covering the management and control of specific infections, such as MRSA and Tuberculosis.

Hand hygiene continues to be a key area for infection control. The Infection Control Team works hard to keep this essential procedure in the forefront of  clinical practice, not only in the ward areas but throughout the Trust, through education sessions and publicity material.

The prevalence of MRSA in the UK has increased markedly in the last decade,  mainly with infections acquired in hospital. Dr Wright paid tribute to the vigilance of West Suffolk Hospital’s staff to ensure that the infection control measures brought about the desired reduction in infections.

"Liaison between the infection control team and ward staff is excellent. Staff in the microbiology laboratory have also contributed to this success through their hard work in swiftly and accurately identifying infections," added Dr Wright.

Notes:

The statistics for MRSA bloodstream infections are taken from quarterly Department of Health reports in which 'Eastern Region' covers Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

The rate of infections in Acute NHS Trusts in England typically range from 0 to 0.69, with the average in the Eastern Region for April to September 2002 standing at 0.19 per 1000 bed days.