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Health Care-Associated Infections

In a moment. Anna Walker, the Healthcare Commission chief executive, said:"““targets are not to blame for the Trust's leaders taking their eye off the ball. Managers always have to deal with conflicting priorities and plenty of organisations do it successfully.””" Nor do high levels of bed occupancy prevent trusts from reducing MRSA. Over the last 24 months, the extent to which trusts with high bed occupancy have reduced their MRSA levels is similar to that of low occupancy trusts. For example, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has reduced its MRSA rate significantly more than the national average, while maintaining high levels of bed occupancy. We are expecting a report from Professor Barry McCormick at the end of the year, which will update his previous report on bed occupancy. My fellow Ministers and I were shocked by the situation described by the Healthcare Commission in its report into Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. I have been on the record as saying that the report was"““as serious as it gets.””—[Official Report, Westminster Hall, 23 October 2007; Vol. 465, c. 49WH.]" On behalf of the Government and the national health service, I would like to take this opportunity to apologise again to all those who have been personally and directly affected, and to offer again our condolences to the families of those who died.