Karen Jennings, UNISON Head of Health said:
“The latest figures showing a fall in MRSA rates are good news for
patients and staff and a step in the right direction.
“I am pleased too that John Reid has recognised the hard work
and commitment of all NHS staff in bring these figures down.
“However MRSA is still a very real problem and we must ensure
that Infection control remains a high priority for the NHS. If we are
really going to tackle the superbugs we must have good cleaning
services and to do that we need to increase the number of
cleaning staff on the wards.
“The pilot on rapid swabbing for MRSA is a good move, but only if
hospitals have barrier procedures in place so that they are able to
treat the patient safely.”
ends