Health
A hospital trust has claimed to have eliminated MRSA bloodstream infections by stopping the routine practice of administering intravenous injections.
Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust has instead begun prescribing the insertion of cannulae - a small tube used for giving intravenous fluids.
Doctors are able to monitor the tubes more closely for signs of infection.
The trust said since the introduction last November there have been no new cases of MRSA infections.
This figure covers all forms of MRSA, including bloodstream infections (also known as bacteraemia) and wound infections.
This compares to 2007/08 when there was 11 reported bloodstream infections. The maximum level set as acceptable by the government is 12.
The trust, which runs the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester and the Andover War Memorial Hospital, believes that if the same practice was adopted nationwide MRSA levels would drop dramatically.
Previously, patients who were likely to need intravenous fluids or drugs in this way were given a cannula as a routine part of their medical care.
But now the technique can only be prescribed by specialists trained in their insertion and they are signed off by a doctor.
Once inserted, the cannula tube is flushed with a saline solution and inspected on a daily basis.
A scorecard is then used to regularly rate its appearance and spot any irregularities or signs of infection.