To ask the Secretary of State for Health what tests are available to detect (a) MRSA and (b) clostridium difficile infection; and by what means such tests are deployed in the NHS.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what tests are available to detect (a) MRSA and (b) clostridium difficile infection; and by what means such tests are deployed in the NHS.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress has been made on the deployment in the NHS of new tests for (a) MRSA and (b) clostridium difficile; and what steps he is taking to ensure the deployment in the NHS of the most accurate, rapid and cost-effective...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress has been made on the deployment in the NHS of new tests for (a) MRSA and (b) clostridium difficile; and what steps he is taking to ensure the deployment in the NHS of the most accurate, rapid and cost-effective...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress has been made towards meeting his Department's 2011 deadline for the screening of non-elective patients for MRSA;

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress has been made towards meeting his Department's 2011 deadline for the screening of non-elective patients for MRSA;

(2) how many primary care trusts have started to screen non-elective patients for MRSA in advance of his Department's 2011 deadline for such screening.

(2) how many primary care trusts have started to screen non-elective patients for MRSA in advance of his Department's 2011 deadline for such screening.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any connection between animal and human strains of MRSA; and whether they will consider the experience of the Netherlands in that matter.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any connection between animal and human strains of MRSA; and whether they will consider the experience of the Netherlands in that matter.

Lords statement on hospital trusts in Essex and patient safety in the NHS.

Lords statement on hospital trusts in Essex and patient safety in the NHS.

My Lords, the Minister has on a number of occasions used the phrase "patient safety" in the context of this Statement and the questions on it. Is she aware of the considerable concern, indeed alarm, in Suffolk, where I live, at reports that the emergency coronary facilities in Ipswich Hospital...

My Lords, the Minister has on a number of occasions used the phrase "patient safety" in the context of this Statement and the questions on it. Is she aware of the considerable concern, indeed alarm, in Suffolk, where I live, at reports that the emergency coronary facilities in Ipswich Hospital...

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I would like to repeat a Statement made in the other place by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State. "With your permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a Statement on patient safety in the NHS. Last week, the regulatory...

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I would like to repeat a Statement made in the other place by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State. "With your permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to make a Statement on patient safety in the NHS. Last week, the regulatory...

I thank the noble Earl and the noble Baroness for their remarks. I shall try to work my way through the questions that we are addressing this evening. The noble Earl asked when Ministers become aware of these matters. He asked me exactly the same question when we discussed these...

I thank the noble Earl and the noble Baroness for their remarks. I shall try to work my way through the questions that we are addressing this evening. The noble Earl asked when Ministers become aware of these matters. He asked me exactly the same question when we discussed these...

My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the Minister for repeating the Statement made in another place earlier. Before turning to the substance of that, I also wish to acknowledge the tremendous amount of very high-quality work done in most hospitals and trusts throughout the United Kingdom. It is always...

My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the Minister for repeating the Statement made in another place earlier. Before turning to the substance of that, I also wish to acknowledge the tremendous amount of very high-quality work done in most hospitals and trusts throughout the United Kingdom. It is always...

My Lords, it is certainly true that I am not briefed on the issue. Obviously, patient safety is at the heart of the work that we do, and recent surveys show that 93 per cent of patients rate their overall experience as good or excellent. However, I will undertake to...

My Lords, it is certainly true that I am not briefed on the issue. Obviously, patient safety is at the heart of the work that we do, and recent surveys show that 93 per cent of patients rate their overall experience as good or excellent. However, I will undertake to...

My Lords, the House will be grateful to the Minister for repeating the Statement. The fact that positively glares at us as we listen to this very disturbing announcement is that the deficiencies evident at these two hospitals are not newly discovered findings. They have been known about for many...

My Lords, the House will be grateful to the Minister for repeating the Statement. The fact that positively glares at us as we listen to this very disturbing announcement is that the deficiencies evident at these two hospitals are not newly discovered findings. They have been known about for many...