Hospital Infections 'the biggest healthcare fear'
Pastor Dale Morgan
Hospital Infections 'the biggest healthcare fear'*
BBC - Picking up an infection is the concern about hospital care most
often voiced by the public, a BBC UK poll shows.
Four of 10 of the 1,040 people quizzed listed the risk of potentially
deadly infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile as their top
NHS concern.
In a separate finding, 31% said they would consider avoiding NHS surgery
for fear of getting an infection.
The government said it had introduced a raft of measures which were
already having an impact in reducing infection.
Despite the concerns raised by the survey, 82% of respondents said they
were proud of the health service, with half claiming it was still the
envy of the world.
We owe it to patients to be able to prove to them that hospitals are a
safe place to go to benefit from the help modern medicine can provide-Dr
Hamish Meldrum-British Medical Association
The most widely-cited concern after infections was the wait people face
for treatment.
Despite the NHS in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland making
shorter waits a priority, one in four people still cited this as a concern.
In England, which is the furthest ahead in reducing waits, no one should
be waiting longer than 18 weeks by the end of the year.
By comparison, a decade ago, waits of two years were not uncommon.
One in 10 polled also said that both the lack of staff and mixed-sex
accommodation was their biggest concern.
However, it is superbugs which dominate people's thoughts in the poll
carried out by ICM Research for the BBC.
Lack of confidence
Just 33% of respondents said they were confident that the NHS would
protect them for picking up an infection in hospital.
NHS poll result
In contrast, 94% were confident that the NHS would provide good care in
an emergency such as a car crash, and 86% were confident it would
deliver a baby safely.
Ministers have made tackling bugs a major priority launching initiatives
such as this year's £50m deep clean of wards.
MRSA rates have been falling almost consistently for the last two years
- although they have recently shown signs of stalling at just above
4,000 cases per quarter in England.
Nonetheless, the government is confident it will meet its target to
halve rates this year based on a 2004 baseline.
The number of cases of C. difficile, which can cause severe diarrhoea
and inflammation of the bowel and is more common but less deadly than
MRSA, has also shown signs of falling.
As the NHS turns 60, BBC News is giving it a health check. Watch out for
reports, features and analysis on TV, radio and the web.
Infection rates are even higher in Scotland, while in Wales and Northern
Ireland they are slightly lower.
Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the British Medical Association, said the
findings on infection were of "huge concern".
He said: "We understand why people are so concerned about
hospital-acquired infections and although infection rates are coming
down, no-one can be happy with the levels that still exist.
"We owe it to patients to be able to prove to them that hospitals are a
safe place to go to benefit from the help modern medicine can provide."
Professor John Appleby, chief economist of the independent think thank
The King's Fund, said media coverage had fuelled fears about hospital
infections.
"The good news from the NHS to the public is that in the last four years
it has reduced the numbers of MRSA infections to a risk that is half the
chance of getting four correct numbers in the lottery."
A Department of Health spokeswoman said it had "come a long way in
tackling infections, but any avoidable infection is one too many".
"We have introduced a raft of measures that we know will reduce
infection and are already having an impact," she said.
"We have implemented stringent hand-washing guidance for the NHS, a bare
below the elbows dress code, putting matrons back in charge of
cleanliness on their wards and an ongoing deep clean of every ward."