That’s a pretty high number of C diff cases and death rate listed below, although MRSA cases are dropping, but for a small country like Scotland almost 600 deaths from C diff is a very high number. US hospitals are also reporting more cases of C diff as well. BD
Scotland's hospitals are to be banned from contracting out cleaning and catering services to private firms as part of a new drive towards cutting the spread of deadly superbugs in the NHS. In a speech to the SNP conference in Perth yesterday, Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced that each of Scotland's 14 health authorities is to be barred from outsourcing cleaning and catering, and will in future be responsible for such services in-house as part of a bid to reduce infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile. Last year there were 6,430 cases of C. difficile infections in Scotland, of which 597 proved fatal. The problem was highlighted by an outbreak of the infection earlier this year at the Vale of Leven hospital in Dunbartonshire which affected 55 people.
In a related story physicians are receiving incentives for not referring patients to hospitals from the NHS.
The schemes come after the Government’s admission that the average GP now earns more than £103,000 but that two thirds of NHS patients cannot see their doctor within 48 hours. Family doctors are receiving cash bonuses not to send patients to hospital despite National Health Service research that suggests incentive payments can reduce the quality of care.
Related Reading:
Meet Clostridium Difficile, The Next MRSA Superbug You Need To Worry About
Maggots for MRSA and C Diff - Hospital Acquired Infections
Hospital incidence of one disease soars: study - C Diff
Scoopit - Private cleaners banned in war on hospital bugs / NZ News
It looks like health secretary is clutching straws to find a solution to this escilating problem which is a major threat to us all.
ReplyDeleteNHS conducted thorough investigation and published their result which clearly show the incidence of antibiotic resistant bacterial infection is NOT lower in clean hopitals, temporary staff and over crowded wards.
We need to clean our acts not the environment and educate staff about strich hand washing technique, isolation of infected patients and reduce practical procedures.