Hospital widens infections net

NHS Oldham meeting
NHS Oldham will test for two extra bugs in the battle against infections inside and outside the hospital.

The primary care trust currently targets cases of potentially life-threatening MRSA and Clostridium Difficile (C.Diff) among patients.

But it is widening the scope to include the antibiotic-resistant bugs extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and methicillin-sensitive staphylococcus aureus (MSSA).

Shauna Dixon, executive director of clinical leadership, said this was to improve patient care and reduce infections. Figures show there were 14 cases of C.Diff in Oldham in April, 2010, one fewer than the 15 target.

There were no cases of MRSA in the Royal Oldham between January and March this year, but there was one case where the infection was contracted outside during this period.

Mrs Dixon said the trust’s pre-elective screening, where hospital patients are screened for C.Diff, was showing 100 per cent compliance rate.



Budget warning


TOUGH action is needed to ensure NHS Oldham balances its books at the end of the financial year.

Steve Sutcliffe, executive director of finance, told the board the trust needed to ensure there was a £2 million cash surplus at the end of the year.

An additional £2 million was also needed to be lodged with the regional health body NHS North-West.

To help achieve financial balance, Mr Sutcliffe said the trust needed to spend £17.5m less on other service providers. He said GPs needed to be more cost-effective when prescribing medication. And the number of urgent care patients being seen needed to be reduced, both in accident-and-emergency and those attending the walk-in centres.

Mr Sutcliffe said medical areas such as orthopaedics, related to the skeletal system, muscles, joints, and ligaments, had a £3 million overspend.

He said: “There is no room for any overspend budgets. If these plans are not delivered, we will not break even.”

Hugh Sturgess, clinical executive chairman, said: “We need to look at the clinical appropriateness of the actions being taken.”

Chairman Riaz Ahmad, said: “We’ve got a very different situation and we all need to work to it to make sure we deliver the target.”