Is Ann Keen MP responsible for the rising rate of hospital infections ?
Brentford and Isleworth MP Ann Keen is well known in certain circles as a former nurse but is much less well known locally in Brentford since she went to live in Waterloo and become a Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Department of Health.The House of Commons all party Public Accounts Committee has recently published a report stating:1. Eight out of ten infections contracted in hospitals are going unreported because the NHS s focussing on just 2 Department of Health tragetted superbugs - MRSA and Clostridium difficle (C. diff.).2. 300,000 patients acquire an infection in hospitals every year in England. Many die or become very seriously ill as a result. Unfortunately too many of us know of people who have been affected.3. The failure of the NHS to monitor other infections means that it is impossible to know how many are dying from these other infections.4. The Labour Government has ignored the Committtee's previous recommendations to make reporting of all infections compulsory.5. Infections other than MRSA and C.diff account for 80% of infections acquired in hospitals. The NHS is only reporting 20% of the infections.6. A voluntary and theefore incomplete reporting system run by the Health Protection Agency has found that (a) bloodstream infections in hospitals have increased by 30 per cent between 2003 and 2007;(b) Cases of E. Coli rose by over 33 per cent between 2003 and 2007;(c) Cases of Klebsiella bacteria, which can cause pneumonia, rose by over 33 per cent between 2003 and 2007;(d)Cases of MSSA, a bacteria increased by 9 per cent between 2003 and 2007.I am pleased to announce that Ann Keen MP cannot be held personally responsible for this rise in hospital infections as she only became Parliamentary Under Secretary for Health in 2007 - after the period under review which was 2003 to 2007. However before that she was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Gordon Brown, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, and a senior member of the Government presided which has over this frightening rise in hospital related infections.I am pleased to advise that Ann Keen MP has been quoted as saying that the Government would consider the Committee's proposals. Hopefully this outgoing and discredited Government will implement the proposals before too many more people die as a result of its negligence and inactivity in this matter.We need a better NHS.We desperately need a change of Government.
David Giles ● 6041d0 Comments