Dying in an NHS Hospital near you - More Customer Choice

On publication of the annual figures for Clostridium difficile infections and associated deaths the headline in the Daily Mirror headline screamed " Superbug scandal: 6,500 killed by C.diff in one year - Minister admits delay as C.diff leaps 72% "

Gobshite and Rentaquote Ben Bradshaw who has some sort of vague connection with the Minister of Health - bag carrier, tea maker , admitted the Government had not done enough in previous years to tackle the bug, caused by dirty wards. He said: "We concentrated rightly on MRSA in the beginning. We may have come to this late."

"But we are taking action now. We are implementing ward-to-board action on this - right from the ward sister up to the boardroom."

"Ward to Board action" worth 'is weight in Gold that lad. Should have been in PR.

Whilst Ministers aren't multi-tasking ,the real world is and as the Daily Telegraph points out today Clostridum ( 72% rise since 2006 10 dead each day) is a single problem amongst many - as figures obtained by Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary show.

Currently only 3 infections are required to be reported to the Health Protection Agency - MRSA, Clostridium difficile and antibiotic resistant enterococcal (GRE) bloodstream infections. Other hospital infections reports are voluntary and must understate the levels of infection and attendant problems.

1. Staphylococcus aureus, a potentially fatal infection which in its antibiotic resistant form is known as the superbug MRSA. The infection can cause septicaemia and toxic shock syndrome. It rose 6% from 2002 to 13,648 recorded cases in 2006.

2. Hospital-acquired infections of E.coli, which also has a potentially deadly strain, have risen by 48 %.

3. Klebsiella spp infections have risen by 48 % since 2002, to 5,198 cases. The infection can cause Klebsiella pneumonia, which has a high mortality rate because it tends to target patients with underlying diseases, such as chronic lung problems. This is an HAI which has caused major problems in Israel and Lord Patel posted about this a year ago March 31, 2007
Hospital Acquired Infections - A Bad News Day - when he wrote ..."The emergence of multi-drug resistant Klebsiella will become a global concern just as MRSA's have ,and increasingly Multiple Drug Resistant TB's (MDRTB) have been invading the EU from eastern Europe and Russia whose prisons are a huge and potent resevoir of HIV / TB - the perstent habit of health autorities to conceal the problem from the public only hinders the resolution of the problem.... unless of course the policy is to kill off the old and save on their pension benefits."

4. Streptococcus pneumoniae infections rose by 9% to 4,553 cases. It can cause pneumonia, meningitis and brain abscesses.

5. Coagulase negative staphylococci, which causes bloodstream infections, was up 126 % to 14,943 cases in 2006.

6. Acineobacter baumannii has it's own website somewhat sensational it does appear that this is a major problem with soldiers returning from medical treatment in Gwermany after wounding in Iraq and Afghanistan ....

£50Mn is going to be spent on "deep" cleaning ... so that's all right then. This has nothing to do with reducing the number of beds and runnin gthem at near 100% occupancy,

GP Practice nurses taking the strain..

Ann Keen (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Health Services), Department of Health) gave some interesting figures on 4th March - GP practice nurses 2001 - 18,389 , 2004 - 19,846 , 2007 23,797 a rise over 6 years of 30%.

If , I refer an asthmatic to Secondary care they see the Respiratory Nurse Specialist.

If, I refer a diabetic to Secondary care they see the Diabetic Nurse Specialist.

If, I refer someone with Multiple Sclerosis to Secondary care they see the Multiple Sclerosis Nurse Specialist.

If, I refer an epileptic to Secondary care they see the Epilepsy Nurse Specialist.

If, I refer a prostate problem to Secondary Care they see the Prostate Assessment Nurse Specialist

If, I refer an person with crippling osteoarthritis to Secondary Care they see a Physiotherapist

If, I refer a schizophrenic to Secondary care they see the Community Mental Health team.

If, any of these people have a knowledge-base greater than my own I will eat Lord Darzi's (rarely dirty) surgical scrubs.

If from Dr Rant ... always worth reading but NOT before you visit any establishment run by the NHS.