MRSA: Patients lives at risk because of Government targets - Burstow

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 1st Jul 2004

Patients lives are being put at risk because of Government targets, the Liberal Democrats said today.

The comments are in response to a statement made by the Health Protection Agency that hospital overcrowding must be reduced if there is to be a realistic chance to stop the disease spreading.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Paul Burstow MP, said:

"Patients lives are being put at risk because of Government targets. The pressure on managers to jump through government hoops and meet targets means that patients are shunted from ward to ward or put into beds before they

have been cleaned properly. These targets should be scrapped. They are

doing more harm than good.

"There is a serious lack of isolation facilities in our hospitals and the Government's response has been one of utter and extreme complacency. People go into hospital to get better. But they are getting sicker because of Government targets and because infection control is not a high enough priority.

"Patients should be encouraged to make sure staff wash their hands. Infection control must be a top priority. The Government must clean up its act and stop more lives being lost."