This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
MRSA at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
05/04/2002
Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm today expressed his
concerns about the recent spread of MRSA in a Unit at the
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
He called for an urgent report from Lothian University
Hospitals NHS Trust to establish that everything possible
is being done to investigate and control the spread of the
'superbug'.
Mr Chisholm said:
"I am concerned about the recent spread of MRSA in a
unit of the ERI. This incident reinforces my determination
to make action against Hospital Acquired Infection a key
priority. I have already ordered an urgent report to
establish that everything possible is being done to
investigate and control the spread of MRSA at the Royal
Infirmary and limit the disruption to those cardiac
patients who are being transferred. We have asked a series
of urgent questions about how this has arisen and what is
being done to control it. The Trust is in close contact
with us to keep us up to date with the situation.
"Events like this underline exactly why we are treating
these infections so seriously. We are setting new standards
for infection control and sending in auditors to every
hospital to ensure that they meet those standards. We are
investing in more infection control nurses and overhauling
the whole Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy to make sure
that the NHS gets the best possible guidance on how to
combat the root causes of infection. And on Wednesday we
announced the first findings of the new comprehensive
infection monitoring system, giving valuable information
for Trusts to improve their performance.
"MRSA is a growing problem throughout the globe,
affecting an increasing number in the community. More
invasive medical techniques, an older and frailer hospital
population, modern treatments and more people developing
resistance to antibiotics, have all played a major part in
the 'rise' in MRSA. That means that it is now more
important than ever that we do all we can to control it in
our hospitals and ensure that vulnerable and sick patients
are protected from further illness."