BUG-busters with Wye Valley NHS Trust are winning the fight against a formidable foe.

This week the Trust marks 850 days free of MRSA bacteraemia - the "superbug" scourge of hospital wards.

That puts Wye Valley amongst only seven Trusts in the country which have been without an MRSA case for so long.

The trust last saw an  MRSA bacteraemia case in March 2013.

Consultant microbiologist Alison Johnson said the success was down to “all members of staff” including those who undertake and chase MRSA screening; those who comply with good standards of infection prevention every day; and those who clean the equipment and environment.

“This achievement represents a tremendous combined effort of which they can all be truly proud,”  she said.

The trust has strict infection control measures in place against MRSA, the symptoms of which are varied in patients and associated with significant mortality.

Tackling MRSA bacteraemia is one of the Trust’s key quality standards and it is assessed on it locally and nationally.

In line with every  NHS Trust, Wye Valley screens all inpatients for MRSA and  has introduced standards for hand hygiene and care of invasive devices like drips and catheters.

The Hereford Times recently reported the trust’s performance on tackling other high profile hospital related infections.

Though there were no MRSA bacteraemias over the past 12 months, MRSA colonisation/Infection cases identified more than two days after admission over 2014-15 were the same as the previous year at 17.

There are no external targets for tackling MSSA bacteraemias, but the trust reports five finds identified from samples taken two days after admission - only one of these was healthcare related with the patient having a pressure ulcer

On Clostridium difficile Infection (CDI), the trust has an externally set limit of 12 cases of CDI this year.

The reportable cases of CDI are those that have been identified from samples taken two or more days after admission, and are positive by two tests.

All cases of CDI are investigated by the trust’s infection prevention team with post infection reviews of all cases undertaken.

Over the year, 18 CDI cases were identified, four linked to lapses in care that could have contributed.

Three lapses were attributed to antibiotic prescribing not conforming to trust guidelines.

In one other case there was transmission on a ward.

The final figure of 18 cases is comparable to the 17 cases identified in 2013/14.

Eighteen E.coli bacteraemias were identified from samples taken 24 or more hours after admission.

Most of the cases were associated with the underlying disease for which the patient had been admitted.

The trust’s orthopaedic team undertakes continuous surveillance for infections occurring after hip and knee replacement surgery.

In 2014/15, there was one infection following a hip replacement and one following a knee replacement.