Press release: NHS Confederation responds to quarterly HPA figures

24 Apr 2008

Commenting on the latest quarterly figures from the Health Protection Agency, Gill Morgan, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents 95% of NHS Organisations, said:

"While the C. difficile figures may provide some grounds for cautious optimism, the Health Protection Agency is right that we really need to see what happens next quarter before any meaningful trends can be identified on the data for both MRSA and C. diff."

"Any case of C. diff or MRSA is one too many and we need a 'zero tolerance' culture towards hospital acquired infections that is embedded amongst NHS staff and the wider community.  Healthcare Acquired Infections are everybody's business requiring measures that range from the individual patient through to staff and NHS organisations as a whole.                                                                                                                                       

"The HPA recognises the hard work that NHS staff have put in on fighting Healthcare Acquired Infections.  It is important to continue to take all this work forward so that HCAIs are being tackled properly at all levels."

Notes for editors

1.  The NHS Confederation represents more than 95% of the organisations that make up the NHS. Its members include the majority of NHS acute trusts, ambulance trusts, foundation trusts, mental health trusts, primary care trusts, special health authorities and strategic health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; and health and social service trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.
   
2. The NHS Confederation annual conference and exhibition 2008, Delivering the future today, is taking place on 18th-20th June at Manchester Central. Registration forms for a free pass to the event - Britain's most important healthcare conference - will be sent out shortly.
   

Contact details

Contact Niall Smith 020 7074 3304 or 07767 770309, Ruth Kennedy 020 7074 3312 or 07884 47 3086, or Ruby Casey-Knight 020 7074 3306 or 07881 957305.  For out of hours media enquiries, please call the Duty Press Officer on 07880 500726.

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