Tuesday September 25, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Alan Johnson today pledged to "focus remorselessly" on patient care as he prepared to announce a new health regulator for cleanliness.
The health secretary will use his keynote speech at the Labour party conference in Bournemouth to unveil a raft of measures aimed at eliminating MRSA and tackling other superbugs.
Speaking ahead of his address, Mr Johnson said he wanted to see a "zero" incidence of MRSA in hospitals.
"We have already had a lot of success in reducing the incidence of MRSA. We have a target of reducing it by 50% - I want to get it down to zero," he told GMTV.
"There are hospitals who manage that, and I think deep clean will make an important contribution."
Mr Johnson later told the BBC Today Programme that he wanted a much more "clinically driven, local NHS".
It will be constantly focused on a personalised service for patients, with centralising care in areas such as stroke and cancer.
His speech later this morning is expected to include measures aimed at improving security for NHS staff working alone and in vulnerable situations.
The new health regulator - which will incorporate the Healthcare Commission - will have greater powers to crack down on hospitals failing to cut rates of MRSA or clostridium difficile, Mr Johnson will say.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour2007/story/0,,2176706,00.html
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