HSE mid-west boss vows to fight against MRSA

This article is from page 19 of the 2012-05-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG

“I WILL be monitoring every hospital to ensure cleanliness is up to the required standards,” vowed the new CEO of the Mid Western Hospitals Group.

Ann Doherty is almost five months in her new job and said the hospitals in Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary have made measurable progress in relation to the control and prevention of the hospital bugs.

She claims this is evident through the reduction in MRSA and C difficile rates. “However there is a continuous need to increase our effort to support progress and ensure further improvements. In short we must do better,” she said.

At the Mid West Regional Hospital Ennis positive MRSA patients are isolated and remain isolated un- til a patient is deemed to be clear of MRSA. A patient is not deemed to be clear of MRSA until all three sets of screenings, taken 72 hours apart, return negative.

Patients continue to be screened at weekly intervals whilst in hospital. In Ennis all single rooms are vacated and prioitised for isolation.

There is a similar practice at the Mid Western Hospital in Limerick, which has 51 adult single rooms, 29 paediatric single rooms and 25 twobedded rooms.

“The principles and behaviours that prevent and control Healthhcare Associated Infections are well known and apply to all health and social care services,” according to Ms Doherty.

“These principles must be delivered by all staff who apply them as part of their daily routine, to eliminate the likelihood of a patient acquiring a Healthcare Associated Infection. Patients should expect nothing less,” she said. “It is therefore, important that everyone, both users and providers of all services, realise and embrace the principle that they, individually and collectively, have a responsibility to ensure that the National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infection are met and actively enforced across our hospitals.”