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| Hospital infection statistics due | Hospital infection statistics due |
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| The results of the biggest ever study into hospital acquired infections in Scotland will be released later. | The results of the biggest ever study into hospital acquired infections in Scotland will be released later. |
| The study will give the most accurate picture to date of the number of people who pick up an infection while being treated in hospital. | The study will give the most accurate picture to date of the number of people who pick up an infection while being treated in hospital. |
| Previous studies have suggested one in 10 people will get a secondary infection and that MRSA kills more people than car crashes. | Previous studies have suggested one in 10 people will get a secondary infection and that MRSA kills more people than car crashes. |
| However, those statistics were only an estimate of the scale of the problem. | However, those statistics were only an estimate of the scale of the problem. |
| Researchers have been collecting data at major hospitals in Scotland over the past two years, making this one of the most thorough studies ever conducted in the UK. | Researchers have been collecting data at major hospitals in Scotland over the past two years, making this one of the most thorough studies ever conducted in the UK. |
| For this reason, the number of people suffering from hospital acquired infections may be much higher than previously thought. | For this reason, the number of people suffering from hospital acquired infections may be much higher than previously thought. |
| The results of the study will be announced by Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon. | The results of the study will be announced by Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon. |
| Public responsibility | |
| She said the study would provide a baseline for the new government to find ways to drive up cleanliness standards in hospitals. | |
| "It's a multi-faceted problem, so we need a multi-facted solution," she said. | |
| "There are tough standards in place, hospitals are rigourously monitored, but I am anxious we continue to drive up standards. | |
| "One of the most important messages is that sometimes it's the most simple things that can be the most effective in the fight against infection. | |
| "Handwashing is probably the single most important thing, not just for hospital staff, but for anyone wishing to visit a hospital as well." | |
| We need staff on the ground, proper equipment, and proper cleaning products Cathy MillerNurse | We need staff on the ground, proper equipment, and proper cleaning products Cathy MillerNurse |
| Cathy Miller, a nurse based at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, said part of the problem was due to nurses having to wash their own uniforms. | Cathy Miller, a nurse based at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, said part of the problem was due to nurses having to wash their own uniforms. |
| "Nurses have been instructed to take their blues home with them and wash them at home and bring them back," she said. | "Nurses have been instructed to take their blues home with them and wash them at home and bring them back," she said. |
| "This is the most penny-pinching thing I have ever heard. Now is that tackling hospital acquired infections when we're doing things like that?" | "This is the most penny-pinching thing I have ever heard. Now is that tackling hospital acquired infections when we're doing things like that?" |
| She said nurses were doing the best job they could with the staffing levels available, and added that contracting out cleaning services to private companies had not helped the matter. | |
| "We need staff on the ground, proper equipment, and proper cleaning products," she said. | "We need staff on the ground, proper equipment, and proper cleaning products," she said. |
| Previous studies suggested MRSA kills more people than car crashes | |
| Ms Sturgeon said in opposition she had been a critic of contracting out hospital cleaning services. | |
| However, she said that it was important to note that the majority of hospitals still had in-house cleaning services. | |
| She added: "Obviously we have to make sure that each and every hospital has the right resources in place to make sure hospitals are clean." | |
| She said there was already a group looking into the issue of laundry. | |
| "I think there's a strong argument that it shouldn't happen, but I wan't to make sure that anything we so is evidence-based and will have an impact on tackling infection," she said. | |
| Antibiotic resistance | Antibiotic resistance |
| Dr Curtis Gemmel, a national adviser on MRSA and hospital infections, said the problem had been made worse by improper use of antibiotics. | Dr Curtis Gemmel, a national adviser on MRSA and hospital infections, said the problem had been made worse by improper use of antibiotics. |
| He said: "The organism has developed resistance to many of the antibiotics we use in hospital. | He said: "The organism has developed resistance to many of the antibiotics we use in hospital. |
| "We use a lot of antibiotics in hospitals, probably too many, and we're probably not appropriately prescribing antibiotics. | "We use a lot of antibiotics in hospitals, probably too many, and we're probably not appropriately prescribing antibiotics. |
| "If you use too many antibiotics then you breed more resistance to the organism." | "If you use too many antibiotics then you breed more resistance to the organism." |