Northern Ireland hospital infections 'fall by up to 40%'

Hospital infections have fallen dramatically in the past 18 months, the NI Health Minister has said.

MRSA rates have dropped by 30% to the lowest level since reporting began in 2001, Michael McGimpsey told a Stormont debate on hospital hygiene.

Mr McGimpsey said clostridium difficile rates were at the "lowest level since mandatory surveillance began in 2005", falling by a "remarkable" 40%.

He said he was allocating an extra £500,000 for minor ward refurbishments.

In November, a damning hygiene report into Northern Ireland's eight acute hospitals found considerable improvement was needed in some of them.

The report by a health watchdog, the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, also called for senior staff to show greater clinical leadership.

Mr McGimpsey was speaking on Monday during a debate on a motion brought by Stormont's health committee which called on him to "bring back matron" and provide nursing ward managers "with the support and authority to do their work effectively".

Mr McGimpsey said he had asked the Royal College of Nursing to come up with measures to put ward sisters back in charge of wards.

He said the roles of old-fashioned matrons were replaced with directors of nursing in the 1960s and 1970s, a job which had developed in diverse ways across trusts.

"In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the focus has been on developing and strengthening the role of the ward sister. In England, the Department of Health has been able to invest in modern matrons, with a focus on improving the patient experience," he said.

"I have asked the Chief Nursing Officer to work with trust chief executives to look carefully at the role of the directors of nursing across all our trusts.

"It is important that they have all the authority that they need to take on the role of the traditional matron."