25th September 2011

Meeting of West Lothian Council 6th. September 2011.

AMENDMENT.

West Lothian Council recognises the rights of campaign groups to highlight anecdotal evidence of concern to the wider community, but strongly asserts that comparative data is essential to ensure informed debate.

Council notes that progress has been made at the Royal Infirmary Emergency Department, where 97% (23 rd. August 2011) of patients are seen within 4 hours of attendance. This is an increase from 89% in January 2010, and is just short of the Scottish Government target of 98%.

Council notes that healthcare associated infections (HAIs) still remain a matter of priority. NHS Lothian has achieved significant improvements in the prevention and treatment of HAIs. The following points should be noted from the NHS Lothian Board papers of 27 th. July 2011:

• There has been a 36.5% reduction in the episodes of MRSA (Meticillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) & MSSA (Meticillin-sensitive staphylococcus aureus) between April 2010 and March 2011
• That there was a reduction in cases of MRSA across NHS Lothian from 6 cases in March 2011 to 3 cases in April 2011
• That NHS Lothian had achieved a 67% reduction in MRSA bacteraemia by March 2011
• That while there are slight changes in the figures in recent months (+/-1), the overall performance trend in HAIs in NHS Lothian is one of improvement
• NHS Lothian is committed to an agenda of reducing HAIs, and will continue to provide detailed reports to the public, as required by the Scottish Government
• NHS Lothian has undertaken the roll out of the new national admissions screening programme

Council congratulates the staff of St. John’s Hospital, noting that of the 3 acute emergency hospitals serving the Lothians, St. John’s Hospital has the lowest results in all HAIs, and has had no SAB (MRSA & MSSA) cases in the 3 months to June 2011.

Council further congratulates the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy on her intervention on HAIs nationally, noting that since 2007 when she set a target of HAI reduction of 30%, she has:

• Introduced a National HAI Action and Delivery Plan
• Introduced infection control standards used by the Healthcare Environmental Inspectorate
• Tripled funding from £15m to £54m to support a more comprehensive delivery plan

which has seen

• A reduction in Clostridium difficile (C.Diff) cases from 6400 (2007) to 3625 (2009) a reduction of 2775 cases, or 43%
• A reduction in MRSA cases from 881 (2007) to 533 (2009) a reduction of 348 cases, or 39%
• Further reductions to 1792 cases and 269 cases respectively for the first 3 quarters of 2010, representing a further projected reduction of 10% and 30%

Council asserts that this is a hugely significant improvement, well ahead of target, over a short period of time, and notes the welcome benefits this has brought to patients in the NHS, after years of intransigence and neglect by previous Labour administrations.

Council agrees to write to the Cabinet Secretary to congratulate her on the progress to date, and to ask her to ensure that her department remain vigilant to any adverse changes in infection rate trends.