TWO patients carrying the MRSA bug have been admitted to the new Brunel Treatment Centre at Great Western Hospital.

Staff at the £32 million centre knew before the patients were admitted that they had previously tested positive for MRSA and put them straight into isolation rooms.

Yesterday the Advertiser received three anonymous calls from people who had visited the treatment centre, which only opened this month. They were alarmed about the presence of patients with MRSA.

But Ruth Lockwood, who is the director of infection prevention and control at GWH, said other patients would be safe.

"There are two patients known to have MRSA at the hospital.

"They are not new cases but they have been identified as carrying MRSA in the past.

"Both people have been isolated and are being treated.

"They were known to have had MRSA in the past and their admission was planned and managed.

"Basically what happens is that if a person has tested positive for MRSA in the past this is flagged on the computer in their notes.

"When they are admitted they are screened every four days until there have been three negative results.

"Only then can they be taken out of isolation.

"If the result is positive they will be treated every day for five days then screened again."

She said that it was not unusual for patients carrying the MRSA bug to be admitted to the hospital.

"Because of the rise of MRSA within the community you have to assume that people will come in with MRSA.

"The guidelines are not to screen everybody but to screen those going into high risk areas such as intensive care or the special care baby unit. The fact is that whether people have MRSA or not we wash our hands and keep the area clean and follow good practice guidelines.

"We've got a brilliant environment with lots of side rooms with plenty of toilet facilities and lots of hand hygiene."

Actress Leslie Ash joined doctors, nurses and patients yesterday as they debated methods of tackling MRSA.

Britain's first Clean Hospitals Summit, which took place in London heard, from victims of hospital-acquired infections as professionals discussed means of reducing the number of related deaths.

Miss Ash, 45, contracted MSSA a dangerous MRSA-related infection last year at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital when doctors gave her an epidural injection.

Diana Milne