The Royal United Hospital in Bath has reached a major milestone in the battle against the superbugs, by celebrating a year free of MRSA.
On Saturday (15th March) the Trust marked 365 days since the last case of a patient contracting an MRSA bloodstream infection.
Helen Blanchard, Director of Nursing, said: “This is an amazing achievement, and reflects our extremely high standards and commitment to delivering the safest patient care possible.
“I would like to say a big thank you to our staff for preventing the spread of this infection for such a long time, it has been a real team effort.
“Everyone who comes to the RUH, whether they are a member of staff, or a visitor, has a role to play in infection control.
“Because MRSA is mainly spread on hands, good hand washing is the best way to stop it being passed on. Thoroughly washing hands before and after meals and after using the toilet is very simple, and very effective in fighting the spread of bugs.
“Recent visitors to the hospital will have noticed large posters on walls, and cut out displays of staff near the Atrium advising the importance of handwashing in preventing infection.”
MRSA (Meticillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) is a type of Staphylococcus aureus that is resistant to the more common antibiotics that are used.
