Hospital winning superbug fight
A £1 million drive to eradicate hospital superbugs has prevented scores of patients in Wolverhampton from contracting potentially fatal infections, health chiefs said today. A £1 million drive to eradicate hospital superbugs has prevented scores of patients in Wolverhampton from contracting potentially fatal infections, health chiefs said today. Bosses at New Cross Hospital revealed staff have been shortlisted for a prestigious national award for their infection prevention work after introducing new measures including special hand gels to stamp out bugs such as C.diff and MRSA. The Wednesfield site was previously branded one of the worst in the country for the spread of deadly infections. Hospital bosses said today the tougher controls had resulted in 212 fewer cases of C.diff, a bacteria found in the gut which is particularly life-threatening in the over-65s, over the past year than in the 12 months previously. Outbreaks dropped from 300 cases in the first six months of 2006 to just over 120 during the same period this year. The hospital has also seen a big reduction in the number of MRSA cases. Figures show that between April and October last year, 180 patients were found to have contracted MRSA in hospital. During the same period this year, a total of 12 cases were reported.
A £1 million drive to eradicate hospital superbugs has prevented scores of patients in Wolverhampton from contracting potentially fatal infections, health chiefs said today.
Bosses at New Cross Hospital revealed staff have been shortlisted for a prestigious national award for their infection prevention work after introducing new measures including special hand gels to stamp out bugs such as C.diff and MRSA. The Wednesfield site was previously branded one of the worst in the country for the spread of deadly infections.
Hospital bosses said today the tougher controls had resulted in 212 fewer cases of C.diff, a bacteria found in the gut which is particularly life-threatening in the over-65s, over the past year than in the 12 months previously.
Outbreaks dropped from 300 cases in the first six months of 2006 to just over 120 during the same period this year.
The hospital has also seen a big reduction in the number of MRSA cases.
Figures show that between April and October last year, 180 patients were found to have contracted MRSA in hospital.
During the same period this year, a total of 12 cases were reported.
In April this year, staff beat competition from as far afield as the Philippines to win an infection control award. Next week the trust will find out if it has won a second award from the Health Service Journal for their work.
Chief executive David Loughton said today: "We are now absolutely fantastic. We were one of the worst in the country and earlier this year we went 100 days without a single case."
Cases of superbugs at hospitals around the region have also fallen.
At Walsall Manor, just one case of MRSA has been diagnosed since February.
In Sandwell, 10 cases were reported between March and June and none at all in July. The Dudley Group of Hospitals reported 35 cases of MRSA in 2006/07 – and just 15 between April and September this year.
At Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust, which covers Staffordshire and Cannock Chase hospitals, superbug rates have also fallen.