Date Published: 19 March 2009

Healthcare watchdog praises progress as MRSA rates

The Healthcare Commission today (Thursday) praised progress in infection control as the number of patients with MRSA nationwide dropped for the fourth consecutive quarter.

Marcia Fry, Head of Operational Development at the Healthcare Commission, said:

"The NHS is turning a corner in terms of MRSA. This is great news for patients and we praise the dedication of NHS staff who worked hard to achieve this.

This goes hand-in-hand with the overall improvement in acute NHS trusts' practices for preventing and controlling healthcare-associated infections that we have seen in the last year.

All NHS trusts must maintain this tight control and ensure that they are tackling every healthcare-associated infection as vigorously. There is absolutely no room for complacency. We must keep these infection rates falling.

Our successor body, the Care Quality Commission, will continue to drive improvements in infection control from 1 April 2009 and will have tough powers to pursue poor performers."

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