EU DEMANDS HOSPITAL BUG SCREENING FOR ALL HEALTH WORKERS

12.00.00am GMT Tue 15th Jan 2008

New measures must be taken to protect healthcare workers from healthcare acquired infections such as MRSA, according to a report to be adopted today by the European Parliament.

The report focuses on the need to reduce workplace-related diseases and accidents across the EU and in particular to better protect vulnerable workers such as those in healthcare.

Hospital and care home staff are exposed to exceptional risk on a daily basis, including from twenty life threatening viruses such as Hepatitis B and C and HIV/AIDS, infections such as MRSA and needlestick injuries. The UK has one of the worst records on healthcare acquired infections in the European Union.

Liz Lynne MEP (LibDem), Vice President of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee, tabled two crucial amendments to tackle healthcare acquired infections such as MRSA, calling for screening of workers and an EU-wide code of conduct to enable better sharing of best practice amongst EU countries.

Speaking today in the debate, Liz said:

"I am pleased that this report talks about better implementation of current directives. I also welcome calls for better inspection. There is no point in Member States paying lip service to implementation as many do in the health and safety field, then quite often it is those very same Member States who call for more legislation, even if the scientific and medical evidence does not establish a risk.

"Where I believe we do need legislation, and we called for this in 2005, is to prevent the over 1 million needlestick injuries which affect healthcare workers each year across the EU. Imagine the horror if you are accidentally pricked by a needle and then have the horrendous wait to see if you have contracted a serious infection such as HIV or Hepatitis B. The European Commission must now heed our call and bring forward an amendment to the 2000 Biological Agents Directive.

"In some areas of course, exchange of best practice is probably enough and that is why I am pleased that my amendments on healthcare acquired infections passed in committee. Infections like MRSA are not only serious for patients in hospital but also for workers.

"Rates of infection vary considerably between Member States. The UK, for example, has a ten times higher rate than the Netherlands. We need to know why and how we can learn from best practice. That is why I called in one of my amendments for an EU Code of Good practice on healthcare acquired infections and to encourage screening of health workers."

ENDS