Burstow Calls For Urgent Action At St. Helier To Tackle Infection

11.37.54am GMT Fri 16th Jul 2004

Sutton and Cheam MP, Paul Burstow, has written to Epsom and St Helier Trust Chief Executive, Lorraine Cliffton, demanding urgent action to tackle hospital superbugs.

Epsom and St Helier comes second in the league table of poor performing general acute NHS Trusts and 9th overall. The figures are compiled by the Health Protection Agency from data supplied by each hospital.

The figures come in a week when the National Audit Office (NAO) have published a highly critical report on the NHS and Government's record on tackling hospital acquired infections (HAIs).

In his letter Mr Burstow asks the Trust to set out how it responds to the nine recommendations made by the NAO directly to NHS Trusts and calls for a meeting with the Chief Executive and hospital infection control experts.

Paul Burstow MP said:

"People want to know that their local hospital is clean and that it has the highest standards of hygiene. These figures paint a disturbing picture. This is not the first time Epsom and St Helier have come out badly in the MRSA league table.

"Cutting infection is not rocket science. The NHS must relearn the lessons Florence Nightingale taught mote than 100 years ago. People go into hospital to get well. Yet far too many people are getting sicker, some even die as a result of the infections they pick up in hospital.

"The figures must act as a wake-up call to the Trust hat it still has a long way to go. I want the Trust to spell out what action it now plans to take to respond to the National Audit Office report and these dreadful infection rates."