Northampton General Hospital has missed its Government target reducing Hospital Acquired Infection.

Despite introducing measures such as screening everyone who has a scheduled operation, NGH has seen a rise in cases of MRSA, particularly in January and February when the infection was detected seven times.

Hospital managers have been asked to draw up a recovery plan and NHS Northamptonshire has asked for a  review of infection control focused on Northampton General.

An investigation found open wounds and long- term catheters cause many MRSA infections and measures to stamp out the root causes are now being used in settings like care homes.

NGH has also now begun to screen emergency admissions in addition to Government directives.

Have you or someone you know suffered at the Northampton General Hospital?

MRSA cases at Croydon’s Mayday Hospital at the end of last year was higher than at any point since mid-2007.

In the fourth quarter of 2008 there were seven cases, bringing the total number of cases to 18 for the whole of last year.

Between July and September 2007 eight cases were recorded, a fall of one on the previous quarter when there were nine recorded.

Last year the number of patients falling ill with the hospital superbug was far below the number in 2006 when 18 people contracted the bug in the fourth quarter alone.

That year 43 people were infected with MRSA.The Healthcare Commission released the latest results. Mayday said it worked hard to reduce the risk of infection.

A spokesperson said”Patients and visitors can play their part by ensuring they use hand washing gel every time they visit the hospital or washing hands thoroughly with soap and water when requested to do so.”

Do you know someone infected with infection at the Mayday Hospital

HAMPSHIRE mum Michelle Thorn complained at  mistakes made by emergency services on the night her 16-month old daughter died from MRSA.Confusion between paramedics and police officers on the tragic night left her unable to cope with the loss of her youngest child, Lilie.

Lilie Mae Thorn died after contracting MRSA after surgery for a birth defect known as claw hands, despite being given a clean bill of health by her doctor only hours earlier.

An inquest heard how no one could have prevented her death, a mix up between police and paramedics, called to the family home in Pennington, led to Lilie remaining in an ambulance for more than an hour, instead of being taken to hospital.

Methecillin or Metecillin is a narrow spectrum beta lactum antibiotic from the penicillin family.

Developed by the Beecham Organisation in 1959.

It has been used to treat infections for various conditions including Staphylococcus Aureus.

However MRSA has developed and is not just resistant to Methecillin but to all penicillins.

Methecillin is no longer manufactured as more stable penicillins such as Flucloxcillin, Ocacillin and Dioxacillin are used within the medical arena

Many of us have heard of the phrase MRSA, the Hospital Superbug, but what does MRSA means.

The full title is Methecillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus.

Staphylococcus Aureus is a harmless bacterium that lives on the skin and nose of about a third of healthy people.

However if the bacterium enters the body, for example through cuts, surgical incisions, catheters and drip feeds it may be possible for disease to ensue.

To understand MRSA further we need to take a look at Antibiotic Resistance. Antibiotics have long been used as a treatment for many illnesses. 

In the 1940’s Penicillin was used as an antibiotic agent to treat Staphylococcus Aureus, it was then discovered that certain strains of SA became resistant to penicillin.

Then in the 1960’s Methicillin a member of the antibiotic family was used as a treatment, and shortly after resistant strains (MRSA) documented.

In the 1970’s incidences decreased as new antibiotics  introduced.

The following decade, the 80’s MRSA becomes more resistant and epidemic strains was reported in London.

Since, MRSA has become endemic in many UK hospitals, with thousands of deaths per year and many more recorded injuries.

So what does the future hold for hospital acquired infections such as MRSA and C Diff?  We shall have to wait and see.