Are Government Targets Undermining the Fight Against Hospital Superbugs?
One of the leading clinical organisations has accused the government of putting targets before patients in a damning report published recently. The British Medical Association’s Board of Science has said that patients are being put at risk from hospital bugs such as MRSA and C. difficile because of political targets. Pressure to treat too many patients too quickly and keep beds occupied leaves little time for proper cleaning, according the BMA’s report. The report shows the UK second in an international league of hospital infections – just behind Sweden – although the numbers are gradually coming down. However, recent figures seem to back the BMA’s report, showing that although down dramatically on last year’s figures, numbers of MRSA and C. difficile infections are creeping back up. The claim is that government policy is putting patients in danger because there is neither enough time nor resources to ensure that deep cleaning methods are effectively employed on a regular basis. The re
