Final Issue: Volume 16 Number 51	Published on: 21 December 2006	Final Issue in PDF PDF format (283 Kb)

News Archives 18 May 2006

Last updated: 18 May 2006 Volume 16, No.20 (PDF file, 345 KB)

Archives | News Archives 2006: Page 1| News 18 May 2006

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Going further faster – new DH guidance on reducing MRSA infections

The Department of Health has launched new guidance on reducing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections [1]. All NHS acute Trusts in England have been set specific targets for reducing their numbers of MRSA bacteraemias by March 2008. To assist Trusts in assessing the likely financial and operational impact of meeting this target, a simple spreadsheet tool has been developed to estimate the current financial cost and operational cost (in terms of additional bed days incurred) of MRSA bacteraemias and, more widely, all healthcare associated infections. This shows that a Trust with “average” numbers of MRSA bacteraemias (around 44 in 2003/04) could, by meeting the target reduction of 50% by 2008:

• Make savings of over £100,000 and reduce total bed days by 0.2% if all other HCAIs remained unchanged
• Realise savings of around £4m and reduced total bed days by 6.1% if all other HCAIs are reduced proportionately with MRSA bacteraemias
  

The guidance includes cases studies sharing outcomes from four Trusts that have implemented changes.

References

1. Department of Health. Going Further Faster: implementing the Saving Lives delivery programme. London: Department of Health, 2006. Available at
<http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/
PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4134549&chk=B8vQzg>.