The raw figures make for disturbing reading. According to a General Register Office for Scotland report published yesterday, there was a nine-fold increase between 1996 and 2007 in the number of deaths directly caused by the Meticillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) superbug, from six to 53 (all but three of last year's total occuring in hospital). MRSA was a contributory factor in 174 deaths last year, compared with 28 in 1996. The figures confirm that hospital infections are taking an unacceptably high toll in Scotland, as if such a reminder were necessary after the outbreak of clostridium difficile (C Diff) at Vale of Leven Hospital that contributed to the death of 18 patients.

The raw figures make for disturbing reading. According to a General Register Office for Scotland report published yesterday, there was a nine-fold increase between 1996 and 2007 in the number of deaths directly caused by the Meticillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) superbug, from six to 53 (all but three of last year's total occuring in hospital). MRSA was a contributory factor in 174 deaths last year, compared with 28 in 1996. The figures confirm that hospital infections are taking an unacceptably high toll in Scotland, as if such a reminder were necessary after the outbreak of clostridium difficile (C Diff) at Vale of Leven Hospital that contributed to the death of 18 patients.

Yesterday's figures were published against a backdrop of a number of multi-million pound initiatives being introduced to tackle hospital infections and an assumption that medical and public awareness of the risk of hospital infections is at a high level. Is that truly the case? It is not an easy question to answer. As with other raw information, care must be taken when interpreting the figures. As the report points out, year-on-year changes might be influenced by a heightened professional awareness among medical staff of MRSA. In that sense, the figures might not be a reliable pointer to actual trends.

There is a hospital-by-hospital breakdown over the 11-year period of the number of the number of deaths where MRSA was recorded as the underlying cause. This shows that Queen Margaret Hospital in Fife had the highest number of such deaths last year (five). Elderly patients are particularly vulnerable to hospital infections and it might well be that the hospital had a disproportionately high number patients in that category. If nothing else, the figures can be a starting point to find out why there are variations in the incidence of hospital infections.

One hospital stands out in Scotland, paradoxically because it is absent from the tables. The Golden Jubilee hospital in Clydebank had no cases of MRSA, far less any deaths attributed to it. The hospital practises the double virtue of screening future patients for infections and treating them if necessary ahead of elective surgery. it also has single rooms for patients, another important weapon in the fight to stop the spread of hospital bugs that can be extremely difficult to eradicate. Screening is being tested in some hospitals to establish its efficacy.

While single rooms are more problematic, given the age and condition of many hospitals, the benefits of screening suggest that the practice should become standard. Old-fashioned practices such as staff washing hands bear dividends and are highly effective in preventing the spread of C Diff. The response is not necessarily always expensive or at the cutting edge of bio-technology. Figures for the second quarter of this year show a reduction in the number of MRSA and C Diff cases and the Scottish Government is confident the battle is being won against serious MRSA infections. However, these figures also show inconsistencies across Scotland in hospitals complying with hand hygeine rules. The war will not be won unless hospitals get the basics right.