UK MUST LEARN FROM OTHER EU MEMBER STATES IN FIGHT AGAINST SUPERBUGS

10.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 18th Oct 2007

Liz Lynne at the Health First Europe Healthcare Associated Infections conference in Brussels. L-R Roy Bridges (Health First Europe Executive Committee member), Mary Banotti (HFE Honorary President), Liz Lynne MEP, Annette Jeanes (Infection Control Office, Department of Microbiology, Windeyer Institute of Medical Science), Geert Bailleul (Nurse in the intensive care unit of Sint Jan hospital Bruges)

The UK must learn from other EU Member States and support a Europe-wide code of practice if the fight against super bugs is to be won, according to a Liberal Democrat MEP.

The subject has once again attracted attention after a shocking survey released by the Healthcare Commission today found that a quarter of hospital trusts in England are failing to meet new standards on infection control.

Liz Lynne MEP, who is Vice President of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee, yesterday hosted a seminar attended by MEPs and European experts at the European Parliament to discuss how countries who are losing the battle against super bugs, such as the UK, can learn from other Member States. The UK has consistently come towards the bottom of EU super bug tables.

Commenting from Brussels Liz said:

"Today's shocking new report shows the Government is losing the battle against hospital infections and yet there is no need to reinvent the wheel; in many countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark, the MRSA infection rate is less than 1%, ten times lower than in the UK and yet unbelievably exchange of best practice is practically non-existent.

"EU legislation is not necessary, but today's figures show that the Government is unable to act and I believe an EU Code of Practice could be a vital tool in sharing experiences to help ensure that patients, visitors and staff alike are better protected.

"Hospitals should be safe, reassuring places; action is needed now if further unnecessary loss of life is to be avoided. People may lose their jobs as a result of these outrages but it will not bring back the loved ones lost through poor hygiene."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Today's findings on the failure of some trusts to ensure hygiene standards - including cleaning hands and instruments - comes just a week after serious such shortcomings at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust were blamed for the deaths of up to 90 patients from C. difficile.

Yesterday's seminar in the European Parliament brought together healthcare professional's, infection control experts, patients and MEP's who highlighted differences in treatment and success rates between EU countries and the need to share best practice.

The meeting highlighted that three million cases of Healthcare Associated Infections are reported across the EU each year, leading to a horrendous tally of some 50,000 deaths and ten million extra days spent in hospital by patients who catch infections during their stay.