NHS Infection Rates Up

Infection rates for C. Difficile and MRSA are up again for the period between January and March this year. C. difficile infections rose by 6% to 8,358 and MRSA increased by 2.1% to 692. These disappointing figures follow a period where levels of infection were on the decline in the NHS.

In the same period last year C. Difficile figures were 35% higher than they are now and MRSA figures 29% higher.

Deputy director of the Health Protection Agency's centre for infections, Professor Mike Catchpole said: 'The substantial drop we have seen in MRSA bloodstream infections and C. difficile over the past year is impressive and a credit to the hard work of our colleagues in the NHS, strengthening good practice in infection control.

'Although very small, there have been increases in MRSA cases and C. difficile cases from the previous quarter but we have observed these before, within an overall annual fall, particularly in the first quarter of the calendar year. If we are to continue to see reductions in healthcare associated infections it is vital that the measures which have won this significant success remain in place and that the public and healthcare workers recognise their importance.

'It is worth remembering that not all healthcare-associated infections are preventable. However, this shouldn't lead to complacency around tackling the infections that are preventable and engaging in the battle to continually drive down rates of healthcare associated infections. These figures show that there can be, and have been, significant reductions.'

Infection figures for the private sector are not published although the top reasons given by people for choosing to have private medical insurance is the concern over high levels of infections and low levels of cleanliness in the NHS compared to private hospitals. Private hospitals have very high standards of hygiene and private rooms helps to prevent the spread of infections.