News

HEADLINES:

St George's: 116 people died there after contracting superbugs

St George's Hospital in Tooting: 116 people died there after contracting superbugs

Hospitals are dangerous and dirty places, says GP

Mark Blunden, Evening Standard
26.03.08

A leading north London GP has criticised hospitals as "dangerous and dirty places" where the sick should only be treated as a last resort.

Paddy Glackin, who heads a doctors' group representing 250,000 patients, told the Standard many hospitals are impersonal where old people beg not to be sent for treatment.

He said: "Hospitals are dangerous and dirty places on the whole. It's well established and the figures are there that many people die in hospitals not just because they are ill but because they actually get ill in hospital.

"The bugs that are running around in hospitals are incredibly dangerous."

Dr Glackin is a GP in Islington but also chairman of the Camden Local Medical Committee, a body representing about 400 doctors in the borough.

The Standard revealed this month how more than nine people die every week after contracting superbugs in London hospitals

At least 489 patients died in the capital in 2006 from the stomach bug Clostridium difficile or the infection MRSA. The bugs were also mentioned on a further 456 death certificates, according to figure from the Office for National Statistics. Dr Glackin, 42, said: "These statistics are not surprising-The pressures on hospitals for increased efficiency worsens the problem and [wards] are full most of the time.

"If you catch a chest infection from a bug that's living in a hospital it's met all the antibiotics and it's going to be multi-resistant and really aggressive."

But the GP believes the problems suffered by some hospital patients are not just related to poor hygiene and wants more people to be cared for at home.

He said: "Every doctor will tell you hospitals are big organisations where people don't know their patients like they do in a general practice so mistakes get made.

"GPs have a long, established relationship with patients built up over decades. Of course, if a person is seriouslyill then they will go to hospital. But these days, GPs are better trained to, where possible, have a patient cared for in the community and at home."

He added: "The other thing you see is older patients begging not to be sent to hospital. They are very aware of the risk of picking up MRSA.

"You also see patients coming back to their GP with complications arising from their hospital treatment."

He added: "People don't eat well in hospital. You're immobile, not eating very well and have reduced immunity so it's dangerous to be there."

But Dr Glackin did praise the new University College Hospital in Euston Road for its approach to care and fighting superbugs.

A Department for Health spokesman said: "About 350 million people use the NHS every year and a recent survey showed that more than 90 per cent of patients rate their experience as good, very good, or excellent.

"We introduced the mandatory surveillance of MRSA in April 2001. The most recent figures show that MRSA infections are now falling, and we are on target to meet our challenging target to halve MRSA infections by 2008-09 - this is down to the hard work of NHS staff." Dr Glackin has been a GP for 20 years and worked in a casualty department in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

Link to:

Reader views (4)

Add your view | Show all

Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.

Winwang, can you elaborate you comment?

- Katherine, Denmark

I was shocked to see how these hospitals are taking adequate care to reduce infection rate (Youtube: MRSA Spreading in UK, Why?). Doctors and microbiologists from all over the world have been publishing results of studies and recommending “Good Hand Washing Technique” as the only measure available to reduce spreading hospital infections.

I was told that doctors and nurses use needle to withdraw blood from a cannula hub. It looks as if the nurses & some doctors in these hospitals are not aware that colonization of bacteria in the hub is said to result in severe bacteraemia resulting in death. Doctors have been warning about danger of plastic disposables (IV Cannula & catheters) and its association with spreading MRSA.

St George’s hospital in UK is a respected hospital with the Head of Infectious Disease preparing protocol to reduce spreading MRSA. I hope he spends some time in the ward and observe what goes on instead of using his time giving lectures and chairing various meetings.

DHSS in UK reported that low cleanliness score, hospitals with high bed occupancy and temporary staff have not shown to have significant higher infection rate. They found the disappearance of this association puzzling. JAMA published their finding this week about universal screening and concluded this does not reduce infection rate.

I hope the officials wake up and see what goes on in the wards instead of giving ample opportunity for these bugs to adopt and become more virulent.

- Medifix, Guildford, UK

"About 350 million people use the NHS every year"

Does the NHS cover half of Europe now?

- Peter, Battersea, UK