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MRSA Action UK’s proposal to the government – Healthcare Infections A Manifesto 2015

MRSA Action UK’s proposal to the government – Healthcare Infections A Manifesto 2015

In 2010 MRSA Action UK published our proposal to the government “Healthcare Infections – A Manifesto”. We highlighted how every infection matters and we asked for a zero tolerance approach to avoidable infections. We spoke of how reporting needed to be improved, including legislating on the recording of healthcare-associated infections on death certificates. And we asked for public education campaigns on antimicrobial resistance and hand hygiene. We have seen numbers reducing for MRSA bloodstream infections and cases of Clostridium difficile over the last five years.

We have, however, witnessed growing problems with antimicrobial resistance and note that reductions in Clostridium difficile have stalled at around 20,000 recorded cases a year, and 14,000 Staph bloodstream infections a year – Staph is the micro-organism involved in the evolution of MRSA, the abbreviation for meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

MRSA Action UK believes the government must continue to invest in the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections and strategies to manage the threats of antimicrobial resistance. Hospitals and care facilities must be well staffed to be able to carry out safe care efficiently and effectively. Again, we ask the government to:

  • Empower all healthcare providers to adopt a zero tolerance approach to avoidable healthcare infections across the healthcare economy through investment in resources and technologies and competency based training for clinical care
  • Publish the mandatory collection of data on surgical site infections in this financial year, and introduce a target to reduce these, with year on year reductions in each clinical setting
  • Publish MRSA bacteraemias, Clostridium difficile, surgical site, urinary and catheter infections on a hospital basis to inform patient choice
  • Publish benchmarking and incidence surveillance in intensive care units – particularly ventilator-associated pneumonia, as recommended from the English point prevalence survey
  • Provide public reporting of organisations’ device prevalence to assist in reducing device use and shortening duration of use, as recommended from the English point prevalence survey
  • Follow up surgical site infections with a post infection review providing surgeons with their infection rates and make this information available in the public domain
  • Introduce legislation and regulation for recording healthcare associated infections on death certificates in accordance with Office of National Statistics guidelines
  • Invest in research into the lasting effects of healthcare associated infections on survivors, and provide access to support services and benefits for sufferers
  • Invest in research to identify interventions that are the most effective to inform clinical practice and improve patient outcomes
  • Work collaboratively with the EU to identify strategies for tackling the problem of antimicrobial resistance across the wider healthcare economy, in care homes and in the community
  • Publish antimicrobial consumption data for each hospital and primary care organisation (GP practices) to encourage judicious use, based on recommendations from the English point prevalence survey
  • Promote education and advertising campaigns on the importance of hand hygiene and the need to be judicious in the use of antibiotics
  • Provide well resourced hospitals, giving healthcare workers time to care

To read the manifesto visit http://mrsaactionuk.net/manifesto.html


Derek Butler

Chair

MRSA Action UK

07762 741114

http://mrsaactionuk.net