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Care Homes

Answer

I have been asked to reply.The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2011:"As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, Questions asking:""1. How many and what proportion of deaths in care homes were attributable to (a) MRSA, (b) Clostridium difficile infections, (c) malnutrition and (d) dehydration in each of the last 13 years. (49797)""2. How many (a) cases of and (b) deaths where the death certificate refers to healthcare acquired infections there were in care homes for each type of (i) infection and (ii) care home in each of the last 13 years. (49828)""Tables 1 to 4 provide the number and percentage of deaths in care homes where (a) Meticillin-resistant ““Staphylococcus aureus”” (MRSA) (Table 1), (b) ““Clostridium difficile”” (C. difficile) (Table 2), (c) Malnutrition or effects of hunger (Table 3), and (d) Dehydration (volume depletion or lack of water) or effects of thirst (Table 4) were (i) the underlying cause of death and (ii) mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause or as a contributory factor, in England and Wales, for 1997 to 2009 (the latest year available).""There is no official definition of a Healthcare Associated Infection (HCAI). Tables 5 and 6 provide the number of deaths where (a) Meticillin-resistant ““Staphylococcus aureus”” (MRSA) (Table 5) and (b) ““Clostridium difficile”” (C. difficile) (Table 6), two specific types of HCAIs, were (i) the underlying cause of death and (ii) mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause or as a contributory factor, for local authority care homes and non-local authority care homes in England and Wales, for 1997 to 2009 (the latest year available).""Copies of the tables will be placed in the House of Commons Library.""Death certificates record the place where a person died, but not where any infections may have been acquired. It is not possible from the information on a death certificate to know whether an infection was acquired in the care home where a person died. People are often transferred between hospitals, care homes and other establishments, and may acquire infections in a different place from where they died.""The number of cases of healthcare associated infections in care homes is not available. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) publish regular reports about anti-microbial surveillance, HCAIs and their consequences for human health in the UK. These are available on the HPA website at:""www.hpa.org.uk/Publications/InfectiousDiseases/AntimicrobialAndHealthcareAssociatedInfections/""Those who die with the conditions specified above are usually already very ill, and it is often their existing illness which is designated as the underlying cause of death. For example, someone with malnutrition or effects of hunger mentioned on their death certificate may have cancer of the digestive tract, which means they cannot eat properly or cannot absorb nutrients; they may have suffered from a stroke or have advanced dementia which can ""cause difficulties chewing and swallowing; or they may abuse alcohol and so not eat properly. Therefore two sets of figures have been provided: the first showing deaths where one of these conditions was the underlying cause of death, and the second where the condition was either the underlying cause or a contributory factor.""The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age, cause and place of death are published annually on the National Statistics website at:""www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=15096""In addition, the number of deaths involving MRSA and C. difficile in England and Wales by sex and age are published annually on the National Statistics website at:""MRSA:""www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=13571""C. difficile:""www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=14782"

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

49828; 526 c825-6W

Session

2010-12

Related items

Deposited Paper DEP2011-0628
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Deposited papers
House of Commons

Deposited Paper DEP2011-1134
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Deposited papers
House of Commons

Subjects

Care homes Death Infectious diseases

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

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