More Action Needed To Tackle Superbugs, Says British Medical Association

Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 11 Nov 2009 - 0:00 PST

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Responding to the PAC's1 report on healthcare associated infections or so-called 'superbugs', Chairman of the BMA's Consultants' Committee, Dr Mark Porter, said:

"The BMA agrees with the PAC that the Government needs to take more decisive action to tackle healthcare associated infections. While progress has been made on reducing infection rates of MRSA and Clostridium difficile, much less attention has been paid to other potentially fatal infections that are still on the increase.

"We are also backing the PAC's repeated call for the Government to strengthen surveillance of all healthcare associated infections and develop strategies to ensure that antibiotics are being used effectively.

"The BMA believes that safety must take precedence over political targets. With winter around corner, hospitals will be working at full capacity. Targets need to be more flexible so that doctors are not pressurised to turn around patients too quickly. While patients obviously want to be treated quickly, we believe, they also want to be treated safely. Putting patients close together in time and space risks cross infection. The NHS must commission and design hospitals with more single rooms rather than larger wards and bays."

1 The report of the Committee of Public Accounts 2008-09, Reducing Healthcare Associated Infections In Hospitals in England

Source
British Medical Association