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Written question asked by Owen Paterson (Conservative) on Monday, 29 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 April 2010. It was answered by Ann Keen (Labour) on Thursday, 8 April 2010 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have contracted (a) MRSA and (b) other hospital-acquired infections in NHS hospitals in Shropshire in the last five years.
Answer

Information on all healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) is not collected centrally. The mandatory surveillance system collects data on the following from acute trusts only: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemias; Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs); glycopeptide-resistant enterococci bacteraemias (GREs); and selected orthopaedic surgical site infections (SSIs).Surveillance data, including monthly MRSA and CDI information, are available on the Health Protection Agency's (HPA) website at:"www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1244763936373"Information on MRSA, for the time period requested, is shown in the following table. All cases of MRSA bacteraemia are reported, meaning that the reports include infections both acquired in hospital and elsewhere.

Financial year
Trust 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Five-year total
Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 2 0 2 0 0 4
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust 47 39 49 35 16 186
Total 49 39 51 35 16 190
Note:
Data include infections, which may have been acquired in the community.
Source:
HPA

Up to 2007, cases of CDI in people aged 65 or over were reported. This information for the time period requested, is shown in the following table.

Financial year
Trust 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Five-year total
Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 8 11 10 4 (4) 6 (6) 39
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust 246 203 336 314 (174) 189 (76) 1,288
Total 254 214 346 318 (178) 195 (82) 1,327
Note:
Total number of reports given; figures in parentheses are 'Trust apportioned' cases (presumed to be hospital acquired).
Source:
HPA.

From 2007-08, CDI cases in those aged two or over were reported, plus those presumed to be hospital acquired (trust apportioned) were identified. This information for the time period requested, is shown in the following table

Financial year
Trust 2007-08 2008-09 Two-year total
Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 8 6 14
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust 208 94 302
Total 216 100 316
Note:
The figures presented are 'Trust apportioned', referring to infections that are presumed to be hospital acquired.
Source:
HPA.

Information on GRE bacteraemias, for the time period requested, is shown in the following table.

Year¹
Trust 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07
Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 0 0 0
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust 7 6 3
Total 7 6 3
¹ Data from 1 October to 30 September. The trusts did not submit data for 2007-08, and 2008-09 data are not yet published.
Source:
HPA.
Information on SSIs, from 2004-09, is available on the HPA's website at:
www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1259151994683

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
508 c1518-20W; 325402
Session
2009-10
Subjects
Hospitals Infectious diseases Shropshire
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk