Superbug outbreak could hamper Worcestershire hospitals' foundation bid (From Worcester News)

Superbug outbreak could hamper Worcestershire hospitals' foundation bid

10:40am Sunday 28th June 2009 in

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HOSPITAL bosses have admitted plans to become a foundation trust may be affected by recent cases of the superbug MRSA on our wards.

Health leaders have admitted that the Department of Health may want to look more closely into why there have been five cases of MRSA across Worcestershire’s three main hospitals since April.

John Rostill, chief executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, wants the organisation to become a foundation trust by October.

This will give the trust more control over its own cash and more freedom from Government control although it will remain part of the NHS.

Mr Rostill said in his report to a board meeting at Kidderminster Hospital: “The only issue raised to date is in respect of the MRSA target where the Department of Health will want to review the detailed issues surrounding the current cases reported.”

Your Worcester News reported on Saturday how the trust has had five cases of MRSA bloodstream infections since the beginning of the financial year in April, 2.5 cases more than it should have at this stage.

To meet Government targets they have to get under 15 cases in a single financial year which they managed in 2009/09 when they had just 11 cases.

Helen Blanchard, director of infection prevention and control, has already said that two of the cases of MRSA in May are not the fault of the trust but were brought in from outside.

Meanwhile, the public membership of the foundation trust which will elect the public governors who will represent county patients has risen to 5,577.

Mr Rostill has organised nine governor awareness sessions across the county, attended by 109 potential public governors and 27 potential staff governors.

Attendance of potential staff governors was highest at Worcestershire Royal Hospital where 18 staff members expressed an interest.

However, one of the board’s non-executive directors, Michael Shepherd, said only around one in 200 people who work for the trust had expressed an interest in becoming a governor.

But Mr Rostill said they had managed to secure interest from representatives in every area but admitted that so far only two consultants had expressed an interest in becoming a governor.