24th October 2007

"PARTNERSHIP WORKING TO TACKLE INFECTIONS BACKED BY PCT INVESTING OVER £1 MILLION "

Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust is to make £1.16 million of extra funding available this year to help front-line hospital staff tackle healthcare associated infections, particularly MRSA and Clostridium difficile, as well as making improvements to patient safety and quality of care.

This significant investment will be announced at the PCT Board meeting today.

This funding is new expenditure and is in addition to the £198,000 recently allocated by the Department of Health to be used for the same purpose.

MRSA and Clostridium difficile are very different infections and there will be two distinct action plans drawn up and agreed jointly between the PCT and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust, to combat them.

As part of the "Your Health, Your Future" initiative, the money will be spent on the implementation of a number of measures, which have already been shown to make a difference, and will be consistent with national guidance. These will include:

• Increasing the level of screening performed on new admissions for MRSA
• The introduction of the DoH’s new dress code for staff
• Enhanced “Deep Clean” interventions in line with emerging DoH guidance.

The money will also be used to increase the numbers in the WWL NHS Trust infection control team.  This extra investment has been made possible because of the excellent financial position of the PCT, as set out in last week’s Government league tables. 

Commenting on the investment, Rona Cruickshank, Acting Director of Public Health said, “If we are to succeed, we need determined action. We will be working with our local GPs, our community staff and our hospitals to improve staff knowledge about these infections and how to prevent them. I want to emphasise that simple measures such as hand washing by staff, patients AND visitors, and also thorough cleaning of our hospitals and clinics is crucial.

“We will also be reviewing antibiotic prescribing.  The public need to be aware that whilst antibiotics are invaluable in some conditions, their use is also associated with both these conditions.  We will also be getting pharmacists to challenge prescriptions.

“We are determined to tackle this important issue head on with our partners to reduce the occurrence of these infections to the lowest possible level.“

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Editors Note

For further information on this press release please contact
John Parkinson
Communications Manager
Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT
tel 01942-482728