Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 81: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the progress being made in designating and implementing modern hygiene practices in hospitals in order to reduce and eradicate MRSA; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13082/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Achieving and maintaining the highest possible standards of hygiene in our hospitals and healthcare facilities generally is a priority for this government and for the Health Service Executive (HSE). Hygiene and infection control measures are key to the prevention of the spread of Health Care Associated Infections (HCAIs), including MRSA. In March 2007, the HSE launched a National Infection Control Action Plan. An Infection Control Steering Group is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the plan. Over the period of the Plan the HSE aims to reduce HCAIs by 20%, MRSA infection by 30% and antibiotic consumption by 20%. The Steering Group is supported by eight Local Implementation Teams which will ensure that all local facilities are focused on achieving the national targets.

HIQA, since its establishment in 2007, has also taken significant steps in this area. A core function of the Authority is to set standards on safety and quality of health services and to monitor enforcement of those standards in an open and transparent way. In 2007, HIQA developed National Hygiene Standards and commenced a programme of audit against these Standards. The Authority undertook a comprehensive inspection and review of hygiene in our acute public hospitals in 2007 and again in 2008. The reports represent a thorough assessment of how hygiene services are provided and managed in HSE-funded acute care hospitals. HIQA noted that the standard on front line services which was already very high in 2007 had been maintained in 2008 and that corporate governance was significantly improved.

In 2008 HIQA developed National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections to provide an overall framework for health and social care providers to prevent or minimise the occurrence of health care associated infections in order to maximise the safety and quality of care delivered to all service users in Ireland. These Standards go far beyond hygiene and include all the key areas of importance in the control of HCAIs namely governance, hygiene, microbiological services, antimicrobial resistance and surveillance systems. The Standards are currently being examined in my Department and I expect them to be submitted to me for formal approval in the near future. When approved the HSE will produce a timetabled Action Plan for their implementation.

There has already been a significant decrease in MRSA cases in 2007 over 2006 from 589 (2006) to 533 (2007) and a further decrease in the first nine months of 2008 to 342 as compared to 432 for the same period in 2007. Data for the last quarter of 2008 will be published this week. Initial indications show that the reduction in MRSA rates has been sustained. In an extrapolation of data on public acute hospitals only it was found for the 12 month period from October 2007 to September 2008 when compared to the calendar 12 months of 2006, for the same hospitals, that there has been a 25% reduction in the rate of cases of MRSA (from 575 cases to 430 cases). I am satisfied that significant steps have been and continue to be taken to reduce the rates of HCAIs generally and to treat them promptly when they occur.