A LEADING infection specialist has called for a new isolation ward to help tackle the MRSA superbug at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital.

Dr Matthew Dryden said the ward would make it easier to stop the spread of the potentially fatal bug and other infections.

The consultant in microbiology and communicable diseases said: "I think we need an isolation ward.

"We have been talking about it for about five years. I think it makes sense to put patients with MRSA in one area."

MRSA is a growing problem in hospitals as bacteria develops resistance to many antibiotics. The RHCH has one of the best records in Britain. Its cleaners have this year won a national award for their work.

In the last 12 months there have been 11 cases of MRSA acquired in the hospital and another nine brought in.

Dr Dryden said in general the NHS was not properly prepared for the probably major outbreak of infections such as bird flu.

"We have policies but the facilities everywhere are not as good as we would like. I was very worried at the time of the SARS outbreak that we might have a huge problem."

He was speaking at the annual meeting of the Patient and Public In-volvement Forum for the Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust.