The Department of Health has tasked all NHS Trusts to undertake a review of their existing MRSA policy and/or MRSA guidelines and to develop and implement an MRSA Screening Programme for all its Elective (Planned) Admission patients by the 31 March 2009 and non-elective admissions by 2011.
The aim of this strategy is to help Trusts reduce MRSA infection occurring in patients and to prevent the spread of MRSA to other vulnerable patients whilst in hospital.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has undertaken this review and is now in a position to publish a Declaration of statement on compliance against this documentation as well as our MRSA policy.
As part of this review the Trust has extended its screening programme to include all non-elective admissions ahead of the Department of Health’s timescale of 2011.
The Trust has also developed a decolonisation service for elective admission patients who have been identified as having MRSA. The service ensures that patients receive timely treatment prior to admission for planned elective procedures. This decolonisation service has been developed in conjunction with Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust.
