An influential parliamentary committee has revealed that up to 5000 hospital patients a year are dying from infections they have picked up in hospitals. ITN examines how this has been allowed to happen and what steps are being taken to control the problem. Taking your life in your hands Going into hospital may be an unsettling and painful experience. But most people assume there is a good chance that it will make them well. Unfortunately, poor hygiene standards in many NHS hospitals means that you could find yourself more ill coming out, than when you went in.
People are more likely to die of a hospital infection than they are to die in a road accident.
There were 3200 fatalities on the road last year. Pressure to hold down waiting lists means there is an ever-increasing throughput in the wards. The more people there are on the wards, the more difficult it is to control the spread of bacteria. It also found that patients can require additional treatment for infection after they have left hospital incurring extra costs in community care. Between 50 to 70 per cent of surgical wound infections occur after discharge from hospital, but these infections are not monitored.