Preventing infection
Like all hospitals across the country, we monitor any cases of infection very carefully.
MRSA
Methicillin Resistant Staphyloccus Aureus (MRSA) is a bug which is resistant to several antibiotics related to and including penicillin. MRSA can and does live harmlessly on the skin of some people in the general public.
In hospital it is monitored closely as it can cause infections in wounds and the blood. Every case of an MRSA infection in a patient's blood is reported to the Health Protection Agency, thoroughly investigated and an analysis is completed so any improvements in care can be implemented.
We screen all elective and emergency patients coming in for surgery for MRSA (find out more here). An MRSA screen is carried out using a swab which is inserted at the entrance of your nostrils—your groin area is then swabbed using the same swab.
If you have a positive result from an MRSA screen it does not mean you are infected—just that MRSA lives on your skin. You may be given a special wash for your skin and ointment for your nose to remove the bug from your skin. This will normally be recommended by the Infection Control team or your doctor.
C.diff
Clostridium difficile (C.diff) lives in the gut of approximately 3% of the population. It causes no problems as it is kept in check by the other bacteria which live in the gut and is present in small numbers.
In the hospital setting C.diff causes problems when some patients are given antibiotics. These antibiotics can disrupt the bacteria living in the gut and allow C.diff to become the main bacteria. It releases a toxin which causes diarrhea—this is what we call a C.diff infection.
If a patient is diagnosed with C.diff they will be nursed in a single room. Although C.diff can be caused by antibiotics it can also be treated using antibiotics. Other important factors in the treatment of C.diff include cleaning and isolation of the patient. If a patient is diagnosed with a C.diff infection, all members of staff and visitors should wash their hands with soap and water.
All of our patients with C.diff are reviewed by the Infection Control team initially after they are diagnosed and then weekly while they are in hospital and show symptoms of a C.diff infection. This allows the swift treatment of infectious patients and any improvements in the use of antibiotics or others factors associated with C.diff to be identified and implemented.
We report C.diff infections to the Health Protection Agency.
