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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons his Department decided that data collected for MRSA rates under the mandatory surveillance system should be published every six months; on what date this decision was made; what representations he received from (a) NHS organisations and (b) other interested bodies in support of publishing data under the mandatory surveillance system at six monthly intervals; if he will publish all data collected under the mandatory surveillance system since April 2001 for intervals of six months; and what plans he has to publish data under the mandatory surveillance system at intervals of three months. [221348] Miss Melanie Johnson: [holding answer 14 March 2005]: The Department decided to publish data from the mandatory methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) surveillance system on a six-monthly basis so that the public could be informed more frequently about the record of their local national health service trusts. The decision was taken in February this year, after consulting the Health Protection Agency, to ensure this would not over-burden specialist NHS resources and that data published at this frequency would be meaningful The tables published on 7 March 2005 include all the data collected through the mandatory MRSA bloodstream infection surveillance system since 2001, set out in six-monthly intervals. The Department has received no other representations on this issue and there are no current plans to publish this data on a quarterly basis. The tables are available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/10/55/18/04105518.pdf and have been placed in the Library.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

432 c762-3W; 221348

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Disclosure of information MRSA

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk