Infection Control

Bridgewater Hospital is committed to the provision of high quality care to ensure the best possible outcomes for our patients. This includes robust infection prevention and control activities to minimise the risk of any of our patients acquiring any healthcare associated infection.

MRSA Screening

All our patients who attend for surgery are screened for MRSA prior to being admitted, as hospital patients are at an increased risk for MRSA infection than the general public.

MRSA stands for meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which is a common skin bacterium that is resistant to a range of antibiotics. 'Meticillin-resistant' refers to the fact that the bacteria are unaffected by meticillin, a type of antibiotic that had previously been used to kill them. MRSA is more commonly known as a “Staph” infection.

The presence of an MRSA infection indicates that the bacteria have infected the body through a break in the skin and multiplied. The symptoms of MRSA infection vary depending on which part of the body is infected, but often include redness and swelling at the site of infection.