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Cleanest North West Trust again and lowest MRSA figures for over 12
months
THE most
recently released figures from the Health Protection Agency show our
consistent approach to hospital acquired infections continues to pay
off and that once again we have the lowest rates of MRSA and C.diff
in the North West. During the quarter October to December 2007,
Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust has had the fewest cases of
hospital acquired MRSA in any quarter since September 2006, with
only one case. This continues the current downward trend that has
been on-going for nearly nine months. For the same period there has
also been a fall in the number of cases of clostridium difficile,
with a drop from 32 cases to 21 cases.
These figures show that over the years that we have had to report to
the Department of Health, we have consistently had the lowest number
of cases in the North West and among the lowest nationally.
Geraldine Boocock, Director of Infection Control said:- "It is pleasing to see that the day-to-day effort put in by
all staff continues to have an effect.
The enhanced
screening and additional isolation facilities have helped us to
maintain our position in the fight against hospital acquired
infections.
It is currently 188 days since the last hospital
acquired case of MRSA and this is down to the hard work of all staff
and the co-operation of our visitors in washing their hands when
they enter and leave the wards." |
WHEN TEENAGERS TAKE TO THE WHEEL
HOW we train
our new drivers is under scrutiny this month (May 2008), because the
Government is still rightly concerned about the number of young
driver deaths on our roads.
What can a parent do when the time comes for their teenager to take
to the road and learn to drive? The short answer is "pay for it", as there is no substitute for proper professional tuition.
But the hands-on parent who wants to help their youngster with
practice at the wheel can help make the process less daunting, and
perhaps reduce the need for quite so many lessons, before the
dreaded L-test.
IAM experts argue that drivers who practice with supervision in
addition to their lessons with an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI)
are more rounded at the end of the process and increase the chances
of first time test success. But driving lessons are not
getting any cheaper (if only because of the rising cost of petrol
the instructor needs).
If you want to help your youngster learn to drive, you need to go
back to driving school yourself.
Be prepared to sit in the back when
your youngster has their first driving lessons, but say nothing.
Just take it all in. That way you can see and hear for
yourself what the professional instructor is advising, and make sure
that you reinforce those messages when you are helping on practice
drives with your youngster.
You have to also realise that your
driving style may be an effective one for you as an experienced
driver, but not necessarily a direct fit with the syllabus that the ADI will be working to preparing your youngster for the test.
The
Driving Standards Agency (DSA) also publishes the curriculum on
their website, another very useful resource for parents.
Please remember too that not every family car is suitable for
practicing in, of course:- a larger vehicle that has an automatic
transmission is of limited use if you know that your youngster will
eventually do their test in a manual Micra, for example...
The DSA website is:-
www.dsa.gov.uk. |
