Hospital Superbug

Cases of superbugs on the rise.

The number of cases of the superbugs MRSA and C. difficile rose slightly in the first three months of 2009, despite the best efforts of health authorities to keep the spread of the diseases under control. New figures reveal an increase of 6% in cases of C. difficile in patients aged two and over in England with 8,358 cases reported in January to March. This is in comparison to 7,908 cases reported from October to December 2008. However, the figure still shows a 36% reduction in reported cases compared to the period January to March 2008.

Whilst any reduction in the number of C. difficile and MRSA cases is to be welcomed, it seems that the excellent work carried out by the NHS and health authorities to combat the spread of superbugs in clinical environments is starting to slip back. This is exactly as many feared, as the tide of the battle appears to be turning, standards start to lapse and the numbers creep back up. It goes to show that the spectre of superbugs is a constant shadow over the NHS and complacency cannot permit the number of incidences to begin to rise once more.

Critics have said that a 'plateau' has been reached in the attempt to eradicate superbugs from hospitals and that a new drive was needed to tackle these and other infections. The campaign group MRSA Action has also accused the government of relying on major reductions at a few hospitals to make the overall picture look better and that the national figures masked a 'postcode lottery', with some hospitals making virtually no progress in combating the spread of superbugs.

All of this makes those who specialise in medical negligence claims question the progress that has been made in the prevention of infections within what are supposed to be clinically safe environments. One of the primary reasons for bringing a claim of medical negligence or suing the NHS over superbug infection is to draw attention to failings that are the cause of cases. Only then can action be taken by individual trusts and 'lessons learned', preventing others from falling victim to the same situation. If those lessons are, in fact, not being learned, how can the point be driven home harder to force health authorities to act and counter the challenge of MRSA and C. difficile on their wards?

The problems have been pointed out time and again to every health authority in the UK and the reduction in the number of cases from the same period last year shows that methods being employed are effective. The problems seem to start when a gradual decline in the high standards set to achieve government targets in the reduction of superbug cases leads to corners being cut.

The superbugs just wait in the wings, ready to reassert their dominance and hence the numbers of cases start to creep back up. It could be something as simple as one member of staff forgetting to wash their hands properly, does this constitute medical negligence? The answer is, possibly, yes. For medical negligence to be proven, it has to be shown that the person responsible has acted below the standards that would be generally deemed acceptable for a clinician of equivalent training and experience to adhere to. The simple act of washing your hands or ensuring a ward is properly cleaned is now universally accepted as a basic standard of clinical practice. To allow these standards to slip is a breach of an accepted clinical standard and therefore negligent.

Is the only way that figures for MRSA and C. Difficile are going to go back down again for medical negligence claims to be more forcefully pursued by victims, driving home the message that any lapse in standards can and should be considered negligence.