Infection awareness week

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust is holding its annual infection control awareness week. The Trust's hospitals have the lowest MRSA rates in Norfolk and Suffolk and recorded a fall in MRSA cases this year.

Number of MRSA cases

2001/02      62      
2002/03      57
2003/04      64
2004/05      58

Every year the Trust holds an infection control awareness week for health professionals. Senior infection control nurse Helga Scotton said: “We have the lowest MRSA rate in Norfolk and Suffolk and we're working hard to keep reducing infections and that is what this week is about.”

Hospital staff undertake compulsory training every year on infection control. Our hsopitals also have alcohol gel dispensers at the entrance to every ward, and at every bedside and we ask all visitors, patients and staff to use the gel on their hands when they arrive and leave the ward. 

We also undertake risk assessments and screen certain types of high risk patients for MRSA before they come into hospital in order to best treat them and to avoid spreading the infection.

We use a risk assessment tool to identify high risk patients and the screen those in intensive care, or going for vascular surgery, or major thoracic surgery, followed by decolonisation when patients are found to be carriers. We are piloting a similar screening scheme for high risk orthopaedic patients.  

How NNUH compares with other East Anglian hospitals (2004/05)

Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust General Acute 0.07
Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust General Acute 0.12
Papworth Hospital NHS Trust Single speciality 0.12
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust General Acute 0.18
Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust General Acute 0.20
West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust General Acute 0.21
James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust General Acute 0.29
King's Lynn & Wisbech Hospitals NHS Trust General Acute 0.30
Addenbrooke’s NHS Trust  Specialist 0.36

For more information about MRSA visit our Infection Control pages.