What action is being taken to address outbreaks of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus in hospitals.

A range of policies and procedures is in place to prevent and control outbreaks of MRSA in hospitals. Our National Health: A Plan for Action, a Plan for Change set out our commitment to take steps to strengthen and monitor infection control procedures in hospitalsInfection Control teams are responsible for all infection in hospitals. In particular, Infection Control Nurses have a remit to survey and react to infection, including potential outbreaks of MRSA. The role of the Infection Control Team is set out clearly in the Scottish Infection Manual which was published in October 1998. In the same year, the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health issued guidance on the control of MRSA which reinforced established practice on environmental cleaning in the areas where the problem of MRSA exists. The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland has included infection control as one of its generic standards, and will be monitoring compliance. This is an essential part of our strategy for making infection control a key element in the clinical governance process.