Brown hails drop in MRSA cases

CASES of MRSA are continually to fall across the district, according to official figures.

There were eight cases of the superbug recorded at hospitals run by Pennine Acute Trust in the three months to June, according to the Health Protection Agency — compared with 17 the previous quarter. Figures for April, 2007, to March of this year show 79 cases recorded, down from 105 the previous year.

The number of combined cases at the four hospitals, including the Royal Oldham, has fluctuated in each quarter over the past two years but the current eight cases is the lowest recorded.

A Pennine hospital spokeswoman said: “There were only eight MRSA cases reported to the trust between April and June 2008, compared with 26 over the same three months last year.

“Over the same time period, the MRSA rate per 10,000 bed days dropped from 1.73 to 0.54.

“The 70 per cent reduction in cases between April and June, 2008, compared with the same period last year, is testament to the hard work of staff.

“However, we are never complacent. Infection prevention and control remains at the top of our agenda.”

The Prime Minister has hailed the reduction as dramatic in a letter to all NHS staff congratulating them on exceeding their target of halving the cases of the infection since 2004.

Nationally there was a 14 per cent decrease in hospital-acquired MRSA infections in England compared with the previous quarter, and a 36 per cent reduction on the corresponding quarter of 2007.

In 2004, the Government vowed cases of MRSA would be halved by 2008. And the HPA said the number had fallen by 57 per cent over the period.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said: “Our strategy for tackling infection is clearly delivering results and the NHS continues to work hard to ensure hospitals are clean and safe for patients.”

However, the Conservatives have accused the Government of moving the goalposts to meet the target and of using gimmicks to tackle infections.