Hospital superbugs in decline, says report

7:16pm Monday 28th April 2008

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A report on infection rates for hospital superbugs has given mixed results for Sussex.

The Health Protection Agency has published the latest MRSA and clostridium difficile (C diff) figures reported by hospital trusts across England.

The report covers the number of cases discovered between April and December 2007.

The figures show the number of MRSA incidents are falling compared with the same period in 2006.

However, hospital trusts are still failing to hit their overall targets for the whole year.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust, which runs the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath, reported 51 cases of MRSA between April and December last year compared with 80 the year before.

Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust reported 16 cases compared with 39 the previous year, while East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust had 46 cases compared with 71 in 2006.

The number of reported incidents of C diff are also falling at the county's hospitals.

As well as samples taken from patients within each trust, the figures for C diff include samples taken from GP surgeries, other hospitals, nursing homes and other care facilities in the local community.

In Brighton and Hove the number of reported cases of C diff was 372 compared with 441 the year before.

In the Worthing and Southlands Hospitals catchment area the figure fell from 206 between April and December 2006 to 196 last year.

The East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust area, which includes Eastbourne District General Hospital and the Conquest Hospital in St Leonards, reported 238 cases compared with 276 for the same period in 2006.

Professor Peter Borriello, director of the agency's Centre for Infections, said: "The reduction of healthcare associated infections is a big challenge throughout the world.

"The agency continues to support the hard work of our NHS colleagues in combating these infections and the neverending battle to fight all types of infection."

Although the report shows a decline in the occurrence of both the MRSA and C diff infections in Sussex, hospital managers insist there is still a long way to go.

Infection control measures have been stepped up across the county.

The Royal Sussex is one of the first hospitals in the country to open a ward dedicated to treating patients with C diff to prevent the infection from spreading. It is also giving atrisk older patients regular doses of Actimel yogurt to balance bacteria in the stomach and help protect against the illness.

C diff is the major cause of antibiotic associated diarrhoea and colitis, an infection of the intestines.

The bacterium, which lives in the gut, multiplies rapidly when antibiotics disturb the natural balance of bacteria in the body, causing severe complications for elderly people and patients suffering from serious illness.

All hospitals have carried out rigorous cleaning of their wards and clinical areas.

They have also stepped up staff training, introduced new uniform policies and highlighted an awareness campaign to use the hand wash provided before going on to a ward.