Baby unit hit by MRSA (From Bucks Free Press)

Baby unit hit by MRSA

6:27pm Wednesday 30th July 2008 in

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THREE babies and a mum were found to have superbug MRSA at Wycombe Hospital's special care baby unit, it has been revealed.

All new admissions were screened for five weeks after the discovery, in November last year.

A report said the infection came from a patient transferred from Oxford - but screening on admission did not include a chest wound.

The report - which comes as it was reported superbug cases had fallen - said: "After detection of first baby, MRSA screening of all babies on SCBU picked up two further colonised babies.

"Parents were then screened and one mother was found to be MRSA positive."

All nurses and doctors were then tested, the Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust report said, and found one worker out of 53 was found to have had the infection.

It says: "Affected babies were treated, enhanced cleaning was instigated and extra hand hygiene education was given.

"All affected babies were isolated appropriately."

Yet the report said it was "difficult" to find isolation areas throughout the hospital because wards are divided into specialities and because of the need to preserve single sex bays.

The trust is looking into replacing the aged "tower block" to provide better accommodation.

Other infection incidents in 2007/08 - covered in the report - included: April 2007: Four patients with c diff on ward 4a at Wycombe. "Staffing shortages" were "thought to be a factor" and an action plan was drawn up.

August 2007: A patient was "inappropriately" put on a bay at ward 5a with possible chickenpox instead of a side room.

February 2008: Three patients and a staff member were found to be MRSA positive on Wilkinson Ward at Amersham Hospital. All patients and staff were then screened.

It said there were 27 MRSA bacteraemia cases, down from 30 the previous year and from 47 in 2003/04.

There were a further 175 cases of another superbug, clostridium difficile, including 73 at Wycombe and Amersham hospitals.

Both figures were lower than the national average, said Dr Graz Luzzi, the trust's medical director.

He told the trust board on Wednesday the results were a "good news story" and reflected the "huge amount of work" from staff.

Some patients, such as those needing hip and knee replacements, may not develop the infections until arriving home because of efforts to cut time spent in hospital, he said.

And there needed to be "greater emphasis" in staff training to make clear that artificial and painted nails are "not appropriate" the report said.

The trust hit headlines when the Healthcare Commission watchdog reported in 2006 that 33 patients had died from c diff at Stoke Mandeville Hospital between 2003 and 2005.