'Superbug staff' are new weapon in NHS fight against MRSA

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Hospitals will be allocated £45million to hire specialist isolation nurses and other staff.

The money comes from the £270million earmarked for tackling MRSA and C.difficile in last year's Comprehensive Spending Review.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said trusts could hire the equivalent of two infection control nurses, two isolation nurses and a specialist pharmacist.

The move is on top of more than half a dozen policies already announced, including MRSA screening of all patients entering hospital within three years.

Other measures - such as the "bare below the elbows" dress code for doctors and the deep cleaning of hospitals - have been criticised by medical experts as unworkable and ineffective.

But Mr Johnson yesterday defended the deep clean policy - due to be completed by the end of March - even though he did not have scientific evidence showing it was worthwhile.

The programme, which has £50million of Government funding, would "restore the confidence of patients", he said.

However, doctors in The Lancet medical journal argue that targeted cleaning is a better use of public money.

Richard James, a professor of microbiology at Nottingham University, said: "There is no simple, quick fix for reducing hospital infections, certainly not a one-off deep clean.

"MRSA screening on hospital admission will further increase the pressure on scarce isolation capacity. What steps will be taken to assist the isolation nurses to maximise the use of this important but scarce resource?"

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb added: "The Government is still unwilling to recognise the role played by hospital overcrowding.

"Wards around the country are full to bursting point.

"Unless they start to tackle this problem, we are at risk of tinkering round the edges of a very serious problem."

Tory spokesman Andrew Lansley said: "Once again, the Government is taking a top- down approach to tackling hospital infections.

"Alan Johnson's centrally driven measures just won't provide the real change we need."