Written answers

Tuesday, 25 November 2008

Department of Health and Children

Infectious Diseases

10:00 pm

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 282: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the instructions she has given to eliminate MRSA or other hospital-based infections with a view to ensuring patients entering hospitals are not exposed to further infection; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42792/08]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Tackling all Health Care Associated Infections (HCAIs), including MRSA and C. difficile, continues to be a priority for the government and the Health Service Executive (HSE). HCAIs are not a new phenomenon and have always been a potential complication of medical treatment, especially in hospitals. This is the case worldwide.

As the Deputy will be aware, the HSE launched a National Infection Control Action Plan in March 2007. The HSE aims over the period of the Plan to reduce HCAIs by 20%, MRSA infection by 30% and antibiotic consumption by 20%. A new National Surveillance System has been established to collect data and provide information on HCAIs in our health system. This data covers four key areas:

1. Staphylococcus bacteraemia (bloodstream infection);

2. Antibiotic consumption;

3. Alcohol gel use; and

3. 4. From 2008 onwards, MRSA Surveillance in Intensive Care Units.

Data in respect of the first three areas has been compiled and published for 2006 and 2007. This report provides essential data that will serve as a benchmark for assessing progress in the future. I firmly believe that you cannot manage what you do not measure. With this system we have now begun a very useful measurement process. The results so far show some improvement with a relatively small reduction in MRSA in 2007 over 2006.

Since May 4th this year, C. difficile has become a notifiable disease and all cases now have to be reported to the relevant Department of Public Health. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre of the HSE published Guidelines for the Surveillance, Management and Control of C. difficile-associated diseases in May 2008. This publication gives national guidance and deals with the isolation of C. difficile ribotype 027 for the first time in Irish hospitals. The guidelines will be a valuable resource in assisting in the prevention, management and control of this infectious disease.

Other measures taken to reduce the incidence of HCAIs include the appointment of additional infection control staff, education campaigns for health care staff and the general public around the prudent use of antibiotics. Last year I instructed the HSE that private beds should be used where possible for isolation purposes where required for patients who contracted HCAIs. In addition, new environmental building guidelines to inform infection control policy in all new builds and refurbishments are to be published shortly by the HSE.

An important part of infection control is hygiene. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), which I established last year, undertook a comprehensive review of hygiene in our acute hospitals in 2007 and published its report last November. The report represents a thorough assessment of how hygiene services are provided and managed in 51 HSE-funded acute care hospitals. HIQA is following up on this review to ensure that deficits identified during that process are rectified and the Authority has already commenced a further national review this autumn. HIQA is also due to publish Infection Prevention and Control Standards later this year. When finalised, these, along with the National Hygiene Standards, will provide a comprehensive framework to control infection in all health care settings.

While accepting that not all HCAIs are preventable, I am satisfied that significant steps are being taken to reduce the rates of HCAIs generally and to treat them promptly when they occur.

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