MRSA Screening

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has a comprehensive policy which details all aspects of MRSA screening, decolonisation, treatment and management. This is updated to reflect changes to national screening policies. This policy can be viewed using the link on this page. Currently the Trust screens elective and emergency admissions using the following protocols:

Elective admissions/attendances (patients coming into hospital for a planned operation, surgical procedure or other procedure as an inpatient)

The preferred screening location is the pre-assessment clinic. When this is not possible patients will be screened when they attend for the operation or procedure:

All patients having an elective in-patient or day-case surgical procedure

 

All surgical and medical specialties unless specifically exempt below.

 

All patients attending for elective in-patient interventions/invasive procedures.
 

Includes all surgical and medical specialties unless specifically exempt below.
 

Some patients whose procedure does not need them to stay in hospital will also need to be screened.
 

Patients will be screened in accordance with Department of Health guidance.
 


Emergency Admissions

All patients will be screened on the day of admission or the next day at the very latest. This area of screening is in the process of introduction following the Department of Health timetable. This includes:

All emergency in-patient admissions.





 

All surgical and medical specialties.

The only exception to this is for fertility or obstetric admissions where only women fulfilling high risk criteria need be screened.
 
 

All patients in Critical Care Units will be screened on admission.

 

These units are ICU, HDU, Cardiac ICU, Neurosurgical ICU, Paediatric HDU and Neonatal ICU.
 


Continuing Screening Requirements

Patients in Critical Care Units are screened at least weekly whilst on; ICU, HDU, Cardiac ICU, Neurosurgical ICU, Paediatric HDU and neonatal ICU

Screening Exemptions

The following patient groups do not need to be routinely screened.

  • Day Case Ophthalmic (eye) Surgery; screen high risk patients only
  • Day Case Dental Surgery
  • Day Case Endoscopy 
  • Minor dermatology procedures e.g. warts or other liquid nitrogen applications. Patients having more invasive dermatological procedures should be routinely screened. 
  • Children/paediatric patients; screen high risk patients only (see section on ICU
  • Maternity/obstetric patients. Women having elective fertility or obstetric procedures, including termination of pregnancy, do not need to be screened unless there fulfil the high risk criteria below

If any patient has a specific question or would like further advice please contact one of our Infection Prevention and Control Nurses who will be pleased to help.

Dr Peter Moss
Director of Infection Prevention and Control and Infection Prevention and Control Team

Click here to view the MRSA Policy
Click here to view the MRSA Screening - Statement of Compliance