Ministers have taken their “eye off the ball” by not recording 80 per cent of the types of infection that occur in NHS hospitals, MPs say today.
Infections and deaths linked to the two most common bugs, MRSA and Clostridium difficile, are strictly monitored by the NHS and rates have come down in recent years.
But ministers have chosen to ignore recommendations to monitor other infections, such as avoidable surgical-site infections and pneumonias, the Commons Public Accounts Committee said.
The number of people dying from all “superbugs” in hospital is not subject to mandatory reporting, despite evidence that some infections are on the rise.
The committee’s chairman, Edward Leigh, acknowledged that progress had been made in reducing MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and C. difficile cases.
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But he added that the health agencies lack robust data on the extent and risks of 80 per cent of the bugs linked to hospital care.
Mr Leigh, the Conservative MP for Gainsborough, added: “Healthcare-associated infections cost the NHS more than £1 billion per year and can lead to serious disability and in some cases death.
“This is the third time that this Committee has reported on the subject and it is disappointing that the Department of Health still has not taken on board a number of key recommendations.”
He added that the Department had achieved significant reductions in MRSA bloodstream and C. difficile infections, for which it set national targets.
“But, in so doing, it has taken its eye off the ball regarding all other healthcare-associated infections — which actually constitute most by far (four-fifths) of all infections.
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“The best available evidence is that other — just as deadly but also avoidable — infections, such as surgical site infections and pneumonias, have increased.”
The Committee added that an electronic prescribing system should be introduced to ensure that antibiotics were used effectively.
Prescribing the drugs unnecessarily for common ailments such as coughs and colds is leading to a rise in the number of infections resistant to antibiotics.
Today’s report said that the Government’s decision to screen patients for MRSA “has not been fully evaluated and there is confusion about implementation and cost effectiveness”.
The number of death certificates mentioning C. difficile fell by 29 per cent to 5,931 last year.
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The number mentioning MRSA fell by 23 per cent over the same period, to 1,230 deaths.
The number of people infected with the bacteria, which particularly affect older patients and those recovering from surgery, also dropped between April and June 2009.
The Health Protection Agency said that that it was responsible for mandatory surveillance of MRSA, C. difficile and surgical site infections.
“As well as the mandatory surveillance schemes, the agency additionally collects details of other bloodstream infections under a voluntary laboratory-based surveillance system,” it said. “The agency is currently working alongside the Department of Health to consider developments to these surveillance schemes.”
The British Medical Association and the Royal College of Surgeons echoed the call for extended monitoring. But Nigel Edwards, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, which represents health service managers, added: “We need to understand why other infections are not showing some of the other reductions seen with C diff and MRSA. We would want to know the balance of costs and benefits from additional surveillance.
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“Now that MRSA infections have fallen so significantly, further evaluation of the costs and benefits of routine screening is required to ensure that this money could not be better spent on other infection problems.”
Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, accused the Government of complacency in tackling hospital infections.
“Conservatives have repeatedly tried to obtain data on infections other than MRSA and Clostridium difficile, but the Government have refused to collect it,” he said.
The Health Protection Agency said that its voluntary reporting schemes included common bacterial infections such as Escherichia coli , Klebsiella and Acinetobacter, which are responsible for about 20,000, 6,000 and 1,200 respective cases of illness every year.
Katherine Murphy, director of the Patients Association, said: “This target culture is just like squeezing a balloon — if you squeeze one end it will bulge out at the other. But the problem for patients is that the balloon stays the same size. The problem of patient safety will stay the same huge size as long as it is regarded as an optional extra by some.”
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“After Maidstone, Mid Staffs and Stoke Mandeville, the Government told us they were each one-offs. This report destroys that myth and shows that patients are in continuing danger until real action is taken to ensure a safe NHS.”