Private Hospitals in Demand as MRSA Fears Linger
As fears over MRSA are still high, interest in private
hospitals continues to soar.
It hit the headlines a while ago, but keeps bouncing back – in
fact, hardly a day goes by without another tragic story of an MRSA
victim. Patients are turning to private hospitals for healthcare or
one-off operations and procedures as many private hospitals boast
high levels of cleanliness and hygiene. The recent report on the
BBC News website about 24-year-old James Wollacott who caught the
hospital superbug five years ago after treatment for a knee injury,
shows that it isn't just the elderly who are at risk. In fact,
younger people have more incentive to turn to the best private
hospitals they can afford as the affects of MRSA can be
devastating. For James Wollacott, he is still recovering from the
infection which he picked up after being treated for dislocating
his knee on a trampoline.
Private Hospitals: Cleanliness and Hygiene
Private hospitals offer comfort to patients who want to know the
treatment and service they receive adheres to high hygiene
standards. For James, MRSA nearly killed him twice – at one point
the doctors called his mother in the middle of the night saying
'he's going to go'. His life has changed from being an active
20-something playing football, going to work and socialising after
work, to being left fed up and demoralised struggling with the
fall-out of MRSA.
Patients go Private
Hospital cleanliness and hygiene is key to controlling and
reducing MRSA. Many patients are turning to well-renowned private
hospitals known for their adherence to hygiene, especially after
The Health Protection Agency released figures showing a rise in the
number of bloodstream MRSA cases of 0.6% at the end of 2007.
Although there was an 8% drop in MRSA infections in the previous
quarter, the figures have been dubbed 'worryingly high' prompting
more people to look to private hospitals that rate highly on
hygiene. The infection is avoidable, making it a difficult pill to
swallow for victims or families of victims. There are concerns that
the government will 'almost certainly' miss its target to reduce
MRSA infections, according to a spokesperson from the National
Concern for Healthcare Infections. Many patients will therefore be
looking at private hospitals that score high on cleanliness,
despite the added cost.
Private Hospitals' Clean Image
More people are turning to private hospitals under private
management: Private hospitals are seen as a safe bet in the
publics' perception.