16 October 2008
By Julie Read
The government's battle to reduce MRSA mortality figures is gaining ground but the latest figures for C difficile remain higher than ever, according to figures from the NHS Confederation.
The number of death certificates mentioning the MRSA 'superbug' decreased for the first time to 1,593 in 2007. This followed a jump from 51 to 1,652 deaths between 1993 and 2006.
However, 8,324 death certificates mentioned C difficile in 2007, representing a 28% increase from the previous year.
According to the NHS Confederation, which represents most NHS trusts, the latest C difficile figures show that 10,586 cases were reported in patients aged 65 years and over between January and March 2008.
This represents a 6% increase in reported cases in this age group from the previous quarter, October to December 2007 (9,993 cases), but reflects a 32% reduction on the same quarter last year (15,644 cases).
Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: 'It's tragic that so many patients have had their lives cut short because of Labour's failure to do what it takes to root out hospital infections.'
Jo Webber, deputy policy director at the NHS Confederation, said: 'A lot of work has gone into getting rates down through a range of infection control measures.
'Figures need to be considered with care. Rising death rates during the period are also the result of a mix of increased screening and surveillance, with the knock-on impact of more awareness of the presence of the infection.'?
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