'Screen all for MRSA' experts say

Researchers at Nottingham University have recommended that all patients coming in to hospitals for operations should be tested for the MRSA superbug, according to the BBC.

Experts say that this could cut MRSA rates to the Scandinavian levels of 2% within six years, compared to the UK's current rate of 44%.

They have also developed a test which would identify MRSA in all its forms within hours. The test currently used by NHS trusts to check if someone has basic MRSA takes up to three days.

The Department of Health has itself acknowledged that there should be "universal screening" of patients going into hospital, also saying "Tackling health care acquired infections is a top priority for the government and the health service."

So why isn't this happening? The reason is that universal screening for MRSA means higher costs, and the choice has been left to individual NHS trusts to "determine the most appropriate initial approach to screening for their patient population."

Though with many NHS trusts struggling to recover debts and having to make cuts to services, taking on extra costs - no matter how much the outcome may help patients - is a remote possibility.

Of course, we have a helpful suggestion for where vast amounts of wasted money could be diverted from, to pay for universal MRSA testing and saving unnecessary loss of life.

Bizarrely some MPs seem to think that the audit-failing EU deserves those billions more.