http://www.politics.co.uk/opinion-formers/press-releases/opinion-former-index/health/mrsa-liberal-democrats-confirm-mrsa-target-failings-$1236875$1220655.htm

MRSA: Liberal Democrats confirm MRSA target failings 

Monday, 18 Aug 2008 13:43 

Today (Monday the 18th August) the Liberal Democrats have released
their analysis of the latest figures for Healthcare Infections in
England and Wales, published by the Health Protection Agency on 17th
July 2008. The Liberal Democrats’ findings supports last week’s report
by MRSA Action UK “How truthful are the figures for MRSA”. 

The reports released by both the Liberal Democrats and MRSA Action UK
show that over 64% of NHS Trusts have failed to reduce their MRSA
bacteraemias by the required 50% target set by John Reid in November
2004. In fact the Liberal Democrats have identified 23 hospitals that
have higher rates of MRSA bacteraemias than they had when John Reid
announced the 50% reduction. All of this supports the MRSA Action UK
analysis and we maintain our contention that the Government have been
less then open in respect to them hitting the 50% reduction target. 

In failing to hit this target, the Government and its Health Minister
have now decided to move the goal posts and have re-emphasised that
the true date for the figures will not be until the period from April
to June of this year, three months after the deadline set by John Reid
in November 2004. In not being content with this, the Government have
also moved the date of which the figures will be released for that
quarter to the 18th September, with the figures for C-diff not being
released until the normal allotted date in October. 

We wonder why the regular mandatory reporting of the Infection rates
in our hospitals now sees a change in frequency. The figures for both
MRSA and C-diff have been released at the same time for a number of
years, those being the months of, January, April, July and October. We
believe that this change, which has been published on the Health
Protection Agency website, is for political expediency, with one
quarter’s comparative information to be published two days prior to
the Labour Party Conference. 

It would appear that the Ministers may have moved the goal posts so
that they can use what is relatively a good period in the calendar
year for infections to announce the reduction in the MRSA Infection
rates at the Party Conference in front of the world’s media, when in
fact John Reid’s deadline has passed. 

Healthcare Infections are not a political tool that should be used for
the convenience of elected representatives to point score for
political or populist reasons, we are talking about people who are
suffering unnecessarily whilst our Government dithers. The reporting
in respect to Healthcare Infections should be factual such as the two
reports from ourselves, and the Liberal Democrats. There is still much
to be done around the country, it is not acceptable to have a postcode
lottery for clean, safe care. 

Norman Lamb the Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson has said, “Now
the deadline for their own MRSA target has passed, the Government
might think the political pressure is off. However, it is not off for
the NHS.” Our Charity has this message for the Government; the
pressure will remain from our Charity’s point of view, and will remain
until we have the true extent of Healthcare infections in our
hospitals revealed and until we have in place a system that brings
infection down to the level of the best of our Scandinavian partners. 

The Prime Minister said at the last Labour Party conference that “He
stood for a Britain where public services exist for the patient, and
to make sure every hospital is clean and safe following best practice
around the world” Twelve months on those words ring hollow in our
minds as we have over 20 hospitals who have not improved their MRSA
infection rates, and all we have from those charged with ensuring the
patients safety from Healthcare Infections is rhetoric and spin. 


Derek Butler 

Chair 

MRSA Action UK 

-- 
Regards
Pat Gardiner
Release the results of testing British pigs for MRSA and C.Diff now!
www.go-self-sufficient.com  and http://animal-epidemics.blogspot.com/