ANDREA JENKYNS
Andrea questions Jeremy Hunt on infection control

In today’s Health Oral Questions, Andrea took the opportunity to ask Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt about his Department’s plans to combat infection control in the community setting.

Infection control is a major area of interest for Andrea following the death of her father from the hospital superbug MRSA.

Andrea asked:

“I chair the all-party group on patient safety, in collaboration with the Patients Association. We are about to look into hospital infections, and in Parliament in November I will launch a hand washing campaign. What is the Department of Health doing to promote infection control outside hospital settings?”

Jeremy replied:

“I thank my hon. Friend for her great interest in this issue and for the campaigning she did before entering Parliament, which I know stemmed from personal tragedy. This is an incredibly important issue. We face a crisis in global healthcare as a result of anti-microbial resistance, which means the current generation of antibiotics is no longer as effective as it needs to be. Proper hygiene in hospitals is therefore vital, and we have a lot of plans that I will be happy to share with her.”

You can listen to the question and the Secretary of State’s response below.