Ring-fenced funding must be provided by the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive to help hospitals meet new guidelines in relation to the prevention and control of Clostridium difficile, according to a report published this afternoon.
The report comes from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), a subcommittee of which has just drawn up the new guidelines which are aimed at healthcare professionals.
They call for better surveillance of Clostridum difficile in hospitals, mandatory reporting of infections to the HPSC, and for a national reference laboratory to be established for monitoring strains of the superbug, which has contributed to a number of patient deaths at hospitals such as Ennis and Loughlinstown in the recent past.
Minister for Health Mary Harney said the HSE has set targets for the reduction of healthcare associated infections and antibiotic consumption
The report says the provision of adequate patient isolation rooms and adequate staffing levels is essential for the prevention of healthcare associated infections including Clostridium Difficile.
"This will have resource implications and must be given priority," it says.
Furthermore, it says education on infection prevention and control should be mandatory for all healthcare workers and there needs to more prudent use of antibiotics.
Information is also provided on how to care for patients with the infection in their own homes.
Speaking at the publication of the guidelines Minister for Health Mary Harney said if things weren't measured they couldn't be managed.
She said Clostridium Difficle infections in hospitals were made notifiable at the begging of this months so all hospitals must now report all laboratory confirmed cases of the infection now to the HPSC.
While there was no official reporting of cases of Clostridium Difficile to the HPSC up to now the report published today by the centre says 11 outbreaks of Clostridium difficile were reported to it between January 2004 and December 2007. Seven of these were in acute hospitals and four were in residential institutions.
Ms Harney said the HSE has set targets for the reduction of healthcare associated infections and antibiotic consumption. Its aim is to reduce the incidence of healthcare associated infections by 20 per cent and of MRSA by 30 per cent over a five year period.