Big fall in MRSA deaths

West Cumberland hospital has always taken cleanliness very seriously and has one of the better records on death and illness from hospital acquired infections.

Nevertheless it is excellent news that deaths from one of the most common hospital acquired infections, MRSA, have dropped dramatically in the past year.

New figures from the ONS have revealed that the number of people dying due to MRSA infections in hospitals has fallen by more than a quarter in the last year, to a 15 year low.

MRSA deaths rose by more than 450 per cent from 1996 to a peak of 1,651 in 2006. Since then infections have been brought down by 78 per cent and are now lower than at any point since 1996.

Health Minister Simon Burns said:

‘The news that MRSA deaths are lower than at any point in the last 15 years is a testament to the hard work and dedication of NHS staff across the country.

‘We have a zero tolerance approach to all hospital infections and we have taken the unprecedented step of publishing infection rates on a weekly basis to ensure there is absolute transparency.

'Every avoidable death is a tragedy. We must continue to do more to keep hospital infections at their lowest levels on record and ensure no patient dies because of MRSA.'

WCH Rebuild/Refurbishment clears final hurdle

The final business case for the rebuild/refurbishment of West Cumberland Hospital has been signed off by the Treasury.

This is fantastic news.

We still have to fight to ensure that the magnificent new building contains all the services which were promised under "Closer to Home" but at least this represents a confirmation of a clear commitment by all the levels of authority from the NHS to the government to a continuing District General Hospital in West Cumbria and they have put the money where their mouths are.