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| Sunday, 21 May 2006 10:06 | | BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
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Health chiefs in the Western Isles have come under fire after it emerged that cases of the deadly superbug MRSA have trebled at a Stornoway hospital.
A leaked internal report shows the number of patients catching the bug at the Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis, has trebled in just one month.
This latest revelations will put more pressure on the troubled Western Isles NHS board, which has recently received complaints from staff of bullying, intimidation and financial mismanagement. In March, NHS staff passed an unprecedented vote of no confidence in the health board’s senior management.
Alasdair Morrison, Western Isles Labour MSP, said he was alarmed at the “staggering increase” in cases of MRSA.
“In previous years the Western Isles Hospital enjoyed an unrivalled reputation in terms of what was concerning other people in other hospitals across the UK,” he said.
“I’ll be expecting the health board to present this report to the health minister. The health board must explain to the minister but equally they must explain to the community what on Earth has gone wrong, why things have gone wrong and ultimately someone or some people have to accept responsibility".
Angus Graham, a Western Isles councillor, claimed staff had voiced concerns prior to the isolation ward closure of the impact this would have on infection control , but the health board had failed to listen.
“The direct effect of some of the actions they have taken is now beginning to show in the infection rates in the hospital,” he said.
Jane Adams, nursing director at the Western Isles NHS board, admitted that changes at the hospital may have resulted in the increase in MRSA cases. “The board must reduce its overspend and operate within its resources. Changes have been made to enable this to happen. It is reasonable at this point to link these two events,” she said.
But Adams added that despite the fact that the board was “not investigating any serious illnesses or deaths due to MRSA” it was not being complacent. “Although we remain one of the hospitals with one of the lowest rates in Scotland, we are very disappointed in this latest trend and are working hard to contain it".
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