'Infection was worse than car crash'

Hygiene is vital in hospitals

Infections acquired by patients while they are receiving hospital treatment are estimated to cost 5,000 lives a year. BBC News Online heard the recollections of one man who picked up a potent strain of bacteria.

Ed Hill was infected with MRSA, an antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria, while he was in hospital recovering from a car accident.

Following the crash in May this year, Ed was taken to the local hospital by Air Ambulance where he was admitted to the High Dependency Unit.

He was treated there and in intensive care for nine days.

He seemed to be recovering well and was then transferred to another ward where he deteriorated.

Ed became confused and at some points he lost consciousness. Eventually he was found to have MRSA.

He was put on a course of Vancomycin and kept in hospital for another two weeks.

Vague recollection

He told the BBC: "I can't remember the accident at all, but I have had brief moments of memory about when I was infected with the MRSA.

"I hallucinated a lot at night, so much so that I tried to pull my catheter out, which could have done me some damage.

"I was pulling cannulas out, all sort of tubes and gadgets from my face which I was unaware were helping me.

"What really upset me is that having been involved in a serious car accident where I was incredibly lucky not to have died, the closest, I think, I came to death was due to a lack of help from the medical staff.

"Should they have been able to prevent my being infected with the MRSA, I would have been out of hospital a lot quicker and hopefully would be fully better by now."