Hospital food and cleanlinessAvoiding infections

An infection in hospital might mean staying in longer

Superbugs

Getting an infection in hospital might mean staying longer while it’s treated. Some bacteria, so-called 'superbugs' such as MRSA and C. Difficile, are difficult to fight because they've developed resistance to some antibiotics.

The National Audit Office estimates that around 30% of healthcare acquired infections (HAIs) are totally preventable.

Follow our simple steps to play your part in stopping the spread of infections.

What you can do:

Wash your hands regularly. Hospitals should have hand hygiene gel or spray dispensers on the ward and/or at the bedside
Don't fiddle with wound dressings, catheters or drips
Take a pair of new or clean slippers and don't walk around with bare feet
Keep the area around you tidy
Shower as often as you can
Tell hospital staff about any infections you may have, and whether they are being treated with antibiotics. Also tell them if you've had any hospital infections in the past.

What family and friends can do:

Ask your visitors to wash their hands thoroughly before and after coming into the ward, using the facilities provided. Disinfectant hand rubs kill almost all bugs in 30 seconds and are an excellent way of keeping you safe.

Advise friends and relatives not to visit if they are ill.
Attempt to limit the numbers of visitors you have at any given time.
Follow ward advice regarding food, flowers and laundry.
Take any dirty clothing home in a sealed plastic bag and wash it immediately at a high temperature (60 degrees or above).
Wash cuddly toys if you take them into hospital.

For further information

In England

The Health Protection Agency website provides annual MRSA rates for acute NHS trusts.

The Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) programme publishes information on the standard of hospital cleaning on its website. You can view results for each individual trust or hospital. (This programme is managed by the National Patient Safety Agency, which is currently in the process of relocating all historic PEAT data to its website.)

The Healthcare Commission website also provides cleanliness information.

In Northern Ireland

The Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (Northern Ireland) website shows MRSA figures in its annual Healthcare Associated Infection reports.

In Scotland

The Health Protection Scotland website provides statistics for Scottish hospitals. These are released quarterly and can be found under the 'national reports on Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) bacteraemias' link.