Hospital Superbugs On The Increase
Chris Thorne, clinical negligence lawyer at South West law firm, Foot Anstey, commented on the alarming rise of MRSA and Clostridium Difficile in hospitals following figures issued today by the Office of National Statistics,
“These cases are invariably complex but the significant effects of these serious hospital acquired infections justify rigorous investigation.”
Figures issued today by the Office for National Statistics confirm the increase in the incidence of MRSA and Clostridium Difficile in hospitals. From 2004 to 2005, deaths involving Clostridium difficile rose by 69%, and in the same period, MRSA mentions on death certificates increased by 39%.
These latest figures have prompted universal support from the Health Minister and Unison for stricter hygiene controls as the most appropriate means of tackling this problem. Until those targets are achieved many patients are at risk of getting a life threatening infection in hospital. This means a significant proportion of hospital patients require treatment as a result of medical intervention rather than any natural cause.
South West law firm, Foot Anstey are acting for a number of patients in relation to claims arising out of these hospital acquired infections.
Chris Thorne commented “Patients making compensation claims for the effects of contracting MRSA are often faced with the argument that the infection was not contracted in hospital. The ubiquitous presence of MRSA in the environment can make that argument difficult to overcome. However the majority of successful claims concentrate on the failure to adequately treat MRSA in the health system, rather than addressing how it was acquired.”
“Where a patient can show that a hospital failed to comply with it’s own infection control policies and procedures it is easier to prove that the hospital was negligent in permitting a patient to acquire MRSA or was perhaps in breach of its statutory duty to protect the safety of people in their working environment.”
“Clostridium Difficile is not generally prevalent in the wider environment and so it is easier to establish the infection was acquired whilst a patient was in hospital. It remains necessary to prove that acquisition was as a result of the negligence or breach of duty by the hospital before a claim can be made.”
Published 23/02/2007
