Reducing Healthcare Associated Infection in Hospitals in England, House of Commons Public Accounts Committee: Fifty–second Report of Session 2008–09

Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence This is the third report on this key indicator of quality and safety of NHS care. In 2000, our predecessor Committee concluded that the NHS did not have a grip on the extent and costs of hospital acquired infection and that without robust data it was difficult to see how they could target activity and resources to best effect. In 2005, this Committee found that the progress in improving infection prevention and control had been patchy and there was a distinct lack of urgency on key issues such as ward cleanliness and compliance with good hand hygiene. The Department’s hands on approach to what seemed, in 2004, to be an intractable problem, has been successful in reducing Meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream and C. difficile infections. Hospitals cleanliness has improved and the priority given to reducing these two targeted infections has started to have an impact on hospital trusts overall infection prevention and control. This progress has not, however, been matched on other healthcare associated infections. As a result of the Department’s decision to disregard a key recommendation from previous Committee of Public Account reports—to introduce mandatory surveillance of all hospital acquired infections—there is still no robust comparable data on the extent and risks of at least 80% healthcare associated infections. Conclusions and recommendations are made following the taking of evidence from the Department and NHS on progress in reducing healthcare associated infections in hospitals.