London hospitals are struggling to cope with deadly superbugs, despite a major hygiene drive in the NHS - reports the Evening Standard.
Figures released today by the Health Protection Agency show rising rates of the potentially fatal stomach bug Clostridium Difficile.
Almost 1,680 people contracted the bug in the first three months of this year - a rise of 14% on the previous three months.
Additionally, around 1,200 people contracted MRSA - 25% more than the target level.
The figures come only days after chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson attacked hospitals for an "unacceptable level of hygiene".
Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Hospitals Trust was issued with an improvement notice last month for serious breaches of the rules, including basic measures such as not having alcohol hand-rubs.
The highest numbers of C.Difficile cases were at Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals (Theresa Villiers MP and Joan Ryan MP), with 188 in the three months from January to March.
There were 132 cases at Whipps Cross (Harry Cohen MP), 123 cases at St George's Healthcare NHS Trust (Sadiq Kahn MP & Martin Linton MP) and 118 at Kingston Hospital (Ed Davey MP).
Other hospitals where cases of MRSA are on the increase include Newham University Hospital (Lyn Brown MP), Hillingdon Hospital (John Randall MP), and West Middlesex University Hospital (Ann Keen MP).
Many other London hospitals, while reducing the number of cases over previous years, still suffer a problem. And MPs would surely agree that even one superbug case is one too many.
So are these MPs going to vote to waste billions of pounds extra on the audit-failing EU - completely without justification - while their constituency hospital needs further investment to improve hygiene?
People are dying due to this hygiene problem. Can't the EU manage to get by on the £3.5bn a year (net) we already hand over every year? That's surely more than our fair share.
Showing posts with label hygiene. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hygiene. Show all posts
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Monday, 18 June 2007
Manchester: Trusts fail hygiene targets
Seven NHS trusts in Greater Manchester are failing to meet key targets aimed at tackling bugs like MRSA, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Manchester Primary Care Trust, North Cheshire Hospitals and Stockport PCT all failed to show they are meeting two hygiene standards.
Trafford PCT, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT, Bury PCT and Warrington PCT had not met, or cannot provide enough evidence to prove they are meeting the standards.
Standards include properly decontaminating reusable medical devices, such as theatre instruments.
Nationally, one in four NHS trusts are failing to hit the minimum standards for hygiene.
The news comes just weeks after the Healthcare Commission warned that failing hospitals will be served with `improvement notices'.
Today's report, issued by the Commission, is based on trusts self-reporting on whether they meet a set of 24 core government standards on care.
A total of 55 trusts including Manchester PCT and North Cheshire Hospitals had not met, or could not prove they met the standard on keeping patients safe by reducing the risk from infections like Clostridium difficile.
Forty-three trusts, including Stockport PCT and Warrington PCT, had not met, or had no data to show they met the standard on areas being clean and buildings being in good order.
A spokesperson for Manchester PCT said: "Achieving compliance is an on-going priority for the PCT.
"We have allocated additional resources and put action plans in place to ensure progress is made and monitored in those areas where we did not declare full compliance this year."
Manchester Primary Care Trust, North Cheshire Hospitals and Stockport PCT all failed to show they are meeting two hygiene standards.
Trafford PCT, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT, Bury PCT and Warrington PCT had not met, or cannot provide enough evidence to prove they are meeting the standards.
Standards include properly decontaminating reusable medical devices, such as theatre instruments.
Nationally, one in four NHS trusts are failing to hit the minimum standards for hygiene.
The news comes just weeks after the Healthcare Commission warned that failing hospitals will be served with `improvement notices'.
Today's report, issued by the Commission, is based on trusts self-reporting on whether they meet a set of 24 core government standards on care.
A total of 55 trusts including Manchester PCT and North Cheshire Hospitals had not met, or could not prove they met the standard on keeping patients safe by reducing the risk from infections like Clostridium difficile.
Forty-three trusts, including Stockport PCT and Warrington PCT, had not met, or had no data to show they met the standard on areas being clean and buildings being in good order.
A spokesperson for Manchester PCT said: "Achieving compliance is an on-going priority for the PCT.
"We have allocated additional resources and put action plans in place to ensure progress is made and monitored in those areas where we did not declare full compliance this year."
Sunday, 17 June 2007
NHS 'hygiene standards struggle'
The BBC reports today that NHS trusts in England are struggling to meet key hygiene standards, according to data submitted to the NHS watchdog.
A quarter of the trusts report they are not complying with one of the three standards relating to the hygiene code, covering areas including cleanliness.
A spokesman for Patient Concern said: "This is terrible. It is bad news for patients and shows trusts are not getting the basics right."
In total there are , covering everything from clinical effectivness to governance.
England's 394 trusts self-declare how they are doing against 24 core NHS standards, which then help determine their overall NHS rating.
The Healthcare Commission now has to verify the data by cross-checking the information against its own intelligence, audits and surveys by other organisations and through a system of targeted spot-checks.
Trusts did best in meeting standards covering professional codes of practice, whistle-blowing and openness.
There was also a rise in the number of trusts reporting they met the two standards relating to compliance with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which issues advice on new treatments.
But with the three standards that relate to hygiene, compliance had fallen.
In particular, on reducing the risk of infection, 14% said they had failed, up from 7% last year.
A similar number said they could not say they decontaminated equipment properly - up from 12.6%.
TRUSTS FAILING ALL HYGIENE STANDARDS
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Sheffield Primary Care Trust
Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust
Wiltshire Primary Care Trust
Over one in 10 did not meet cleanliness standards either.
It meant that 99 trusts - one in four of the total - were not meeting the hygiene code.
A quarter of the trusts report they are not complying with one of the three standards relating to the hygiene code, covering areas including cleanliness.
A spokesman for Patient Concern said: "This is terrible. It is bad news for patients and shows trusts are not getting the basics right."
In total there are , covering everything from clinical effectivness to governance.
England's 394 trusts self-declare how they are doing against 24 core NHS standards, which then help determine their overall NHS rating.
The Healthcare Commission now has to verify the data by cross-checking the information against its own intelligence, audits and surveys by other organisations and through a system of targeted spot-checks.
Trusts did best in meeting standards covering professional codes of practice, whistle-blowing and openness.
There was also a rise in the number of trusts reporting they met the two standards relating to compliance with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, which issues advice on new treatments.
But with the three standards that relate to hygiene, compliance had fallen.
In particular, on reducing the risk of infection, 14% said they had failed, up from 7% last year.
A similar number said they could not say they decontaminated equipment properly - up from 12.6%.
TRUSTS FAILING ALL HYGIENE STANDARDS
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Sheffield Primary Care Trust
Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust
Wiltshire Primary Care Trust
Over one in 10 did not meet cleanliness standards either.
It meant that 99 trusts - one in four of the total - were not meeting the hygiene code.
Thursday, 10 May 2007
Stoke: Patients slam dirty hospital
The condition of wards, toilets and bathrooms at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire has been criticised by patients in two separate surveys.
One was carried out on behalf of the Healthcare Commission (HC) while the other was from people contacted by the hospital's patients advice services.
The HC - the independent inspection body for the NHS - called for a review of the cleaning contracts at the hospital in the wake of the concerns raised by the survey.
The patients in both surveys also raised concerns about catering at the hospital but described staff as excellent.
The findings were based on the HC survey in which 461 patients out of 850 polled at the Hartshill complex filled in questionnaires, and from 223 people who completed so-called "feedback forms" issued to 40 wards and departments through its patient advice liaison service (PALS).
One was carried out on behalf of the Healthcare Commission (HC) while the other was from people contacted by the hospital's patients advice services.
The HC - the independent inspection body for the NHS - called for a review of the cleaning contracts at the hospital in the wake of the concerns raised by the survey.
The patients in both surveys also raised concerns about catering at the hospital but described staff as excellent.
The findings were based on the HC survey in which 461 patients out of 850 polled at the Hartshill complex filled in questionnaires, and from 223 people who completed so-called "feedback forms" issued to 40 wards and departments through its patient advice liaison service (PALS).
Labels:
hospitals,
hygiene,
NHS cuts,
staffordshire,
stoke-on-trent
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