Written question asked by Lembit Opik (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 12 January 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 24 March 2005. It was answered by Melanie Johnson (Labour) on Thursday, 24 March 2005 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the Government has made of whether relationship exists between MRSA and the privatisation of cleaning activities in NHS hospitals.

Answer: Lembit Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the Government have made of whether relationship exists between MRSA and the privatisation of cleaning activities in NHS hospitals. [209146] Miss Melanie Johnson: Analysis carried out by the Department found that there was no statistically significant relationship between the contracting out of cleaning work and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates in national health service trusts. However, the impact of cost-cutting programmes during the 1980s and 1990s did lead to a reduction in the number of cleaning staff and expenditure on cleaning. The problem of MRSA has developed over some time. Between 1993 and 1997, the percentage of S aureus bacteraemias that were MRSA increased from four per cent. to 30 per cent.. It is now settling at just over 40 per cent. The latest data for MRSA bloodstream infections (April-September 2004) show a 6 per cent. drop on the corresponding period in 2003. Several initiatives are already improving hospital cleanliness and infection control. These are summarised in "Towards cleaner hospitals and lower rates of infections".

Secondary information