PLANS to axe five matron posts at city hospitals could have an adverse effect on the battle against the lethal MRSA infection, it has been claimed.
The Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is considering cutting the number of matrons it employs from 12 to seven, to reduce costs.
Hospitals in the city are currently ranked among the best in the UK for protecting patients fro
m MRSA, but the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) believes this could change if the proposed job cuts are carried out.
The warning comes after new figures yesterday revealed that between 2003 and 2004 the mentions of MRSA on death certificates increased across the county by 22 per cent to 1,168.
Mike Kavanagh, regional officer for the RCN, said: "The number of MRSA infections in Peterborough has been extremely low for several years and the matrons have played a role in this.
"One of their responsibilities is ensuring that hygiene and cleanliness standards are kept high, and they have been doing this very well.
"If five matrons are to go, it is inevitable that this will have an effect on infection rates."
Last year debts at the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust reached £7.7 million and efforts are being made to cut staffing costs. There have also been ward closures, and beds have been mothballed.
The 12 modern matrons started work at the trust in October 2003.
Mr Kavanagh said: "Their re-introduction across the country after an absence of 30 years is widely regarded as a success. But, sadly, they are seen as a luxury and are often the first to go when financial problems arise."
Chris Wilkinson, director of nursing for the trust, said today: "The matron roles in the proposed model will retain core responsibilities, such as helping the trust to maintain and improve our excellent performance in preventing and controlling infections and improving hospital cleanliness.
"With fewer matrons in post, part of the consultation has been about ensuring that job descriptions are realistic.
"We will not let our standards drop and we will need to refocus the matrons' activities to maintain the quality of care we provide to our patients."
NHS trust is third best in fight against MRSAPETERBOROUGH and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has one of the best records for fighting MRSA in the country.
The trust is the third best performing in the country for rates of the potentially fatal infection.
Department of Health figures show that just four cases of the bacterial infection were diagnosed between April and September last year at the Edith Cavell, Peterborough District and Stamford hospitals, compared with 69 at the worst performing hospital, in Brighton.
The trust's rate is just 0.04 per 1,000 "bed stays" (one person in hospital for one night).
There are a total of 760 beds in the three Peterborough hospitals covered by the MRSA statistics.
