Tests Bid to Beat MRSA in Wards

A PILOT project to screen patients for MRSA before they are admitted to hospital was today launched by the health secretary.

All non-emergency admissions in three Scottish health board areas will be screened with a swab for the infection as part of the preadmission procedures.

If the GBP5.2million project is successful in Ayrshire and Arran, West ern Isles and Grampian national screening will begin in 2009.

Speaking on a visit to Kilmarnock’s Crosshouse Hospital, Nicola Sturgeon said: “It’s crucial that the public have confidence in their NHS and know that they’re going to get the best possible care .”

“Many people carry the bug but it is only when it enters an open wound that it causes problems and that is why we are introducing screening , ” she said.

If a patient tests positive, a five-day course of treatment is offered.

Originally published by Newsquest Media Group.

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