WYE Valley NHS Trust has celebrated 1,000 days without a case of hospital-acquired MRSA bacteraemia (blood stream) infection in its hospitals - making it the top performer in the West Midlands.

The statistic puts the Trust among England's top performers – with only six other hospitals achieving a similar amount of time without an MRSA bacteraemia.

Alison Johnson, Consultant Microbiologist, said Wye Valley NHS Trust has a “zero tolerance approach” to healthcare associated infections.

“That’s why infection control is one of our priorities,” she said.

“Reducing MRSA bacteraemia is a national target across the NHS and this Trust has the best record on this in the West Midlands.

“There are many reasons for this good record - we have a strict cleaning, hygiene and hand-washing regimes, a robust antibiotic prescribing policy and ongoing screening of all people that we admit to hospital."

She added: “We have a dedicated team of medical and clinical staff who understand the importance of infection control and it’s very much down to their vigilance and determination that we have reached this major milestone.

“On behalf of all our patients, I’d like to publicly thank them for their determination to keep the hospital clear of MRSA - this outstanding achievement is due to their tenacity and determination to provide first class patient care.”

The Trust frequently runs awareness campaigns linked to infection control which raises awareness of the importance of effective hand hygiene among both its staff, patients and their relatives and visitors to the Trust’s hospitals.

Michelle Clarke, the Trust’s Director of Nursing and Quality, said: “None of our patients wants to suffer from an avoidable infection, and none of our staff wants to be responsible for one.

“Our staff members have played a big role in reducing hospital-acquired infections and are encouraged to challenge each other if they feel proper infection control processes are not being followed."