The surgical team at Wales’ biggest hospital has celebrated going more than a year without a single case of a common superbug.
The Surgery Clinical Board at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has not had a case of MRSA bacteraemia for more than 370 days – an impressive feat in the battle against one of the most common hospital infections.
The team has cited consistent excellent practice and hard work for the achievement.
Linda Walker, the Director of Nursing for the Surgery Clinical Board, said although the team was only one part of the health board it was still comparable in size to a small hospital.
She said: “When I worked in a hospital elsewhere in the UK we could be having a dozen cases of MRSA bacteraemia in a week so this goes to show how much of a challenge it is to reach the milestone that we have.
“We’ve reached it through consistent good practice across all our areas. We’ve done lots of different things and been incredibly focused on , aseptic techniques, initiatives such as bare below the elbow, infection control audits and action plans and the correct use of personal protective clothing.
“It has really been a whole clinical board approach with everyone from consultants, nurses and porters all playing their part. We’ve also had huge help from the health board’s Infection Prevention Control team. It’s been a real team effort.”
MRSA is a type of bacteria that is resistant to a number of widely used antibiotics which makes it more difficult to treat. It is often carried on the skin and can cause mild infections. However, when it gets into the skin, which happens more easily in a hospital environment using needles and other equipment, it can cause life-threatening infections like blood poisoning or endocarditis.
Dr Graham Shortland, the Medical Director for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said: “In a hospital setting MRSA can have serious, even fatal consequences which is why good clinical practice is so important but also a challenge in such a busy environment.
“The achievement of the surgery clinical board in staying MRSA free for a year is no easy feat and we are very proud and pleased that their hard work has delivered such excellent results.”
Professor Adam Cairns, the Chief Executive of the health board, said: “Well done to all involved. This is an area that uses potentially high infection risk tools such as cannulas and catheters so this isn’t an insignificant achievement. We have to share the learning about how they did it so other parts of the UHB can share in their success.”
Yvonne Hyde, senior nurse for Infection Prevention Control at Cardiff and Vale, said: “It is now over 370 days since the Surgery Clinical Board have had a case of MRSA bacteraemia. This is an incredible achievement and a credit to all of the teams who have been relentless with this agenda.
“As with many infections, this success can be attributed to a number of clinical measures namely the implementation of the cannula packs, the meticulous care of invasive devices, MRSA Screening (both admission and pre-admission screening) and appropriate and timely decolonisation of patients found to be MRSA positive.”
