Patients to be screened for MRSA

Patients who test positive may have their operation postponed

Hospital patients in Nottinghamshire are to be screened for MRSA infections before undergoing surgery, health officials have confirmed.

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said the aim was to try to stop the spread of superbugs.

The screening is part of a new month-long infection control campaign that will also concentrate on hand hygiene and hospital cleanliness.

Patients going into hospital for planned operations will be tested.

Infection risks

Caroline Trevithick, lead on infection control for NHS East Midlands, said: "It's not about the environment it's about the organisms that are on the skin of the patients.

"The risk for patients with MRSA is when they go in for surgery.

"Knowing if they've got MRSA beforehand puts us in a much better position to manage those patients accordingly.

"MRSA isn't just a hospital problem, it's out there in the community."

She said patients who tested positive would be treated with either an antiseptic body wash or antibiotic ointment and may have their operation postponed.