Staff at an Oxford hospital have been praised by managers for keeping their wards MRSA-free.

Latest statistics, released by the Department of Health, show the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre had no outbreaks of the superbug in October last year to March this year.

The specialist hospital, in Windmill Road, Headington, has only had eight cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus since April 2001 -- making it the third best-performing centre among 18 similar units in the UK.

Medical director Dr Tony Berendt said: "Orthopaedic infection can be particularly devastating, and we know some patients are fearful of having much-needed treatment because of anxiety about MRSA.

"It's therefore very pleasing to be able to congratulate our staff on their exceptional track record in infection control."

Dr Berendt works in the NOC's internationally recognised bone infection unit, which was set up to deal with the problem of infection.

But he admitted that dealing with MRSA was made easier at the hospital because most of the patients were scheduled for treatment -- rather than emergency cases who could not be screened in advance.

He added: "The crucial factor is the hard work and commitment of all our staff.

"These results should strongly reassure present and future patients of the NOC that their chances of acquiring infection from treatment here are very small."

Chief executive Ed Macalister-Smith said: "Our patients can have the greatest possible confidence about the quality of care they will receive here.

"They should understand that this is an issue which has the highest level of corporate commitment to sustain our excellent track record."

Last week it was reported that the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust reported 94 cases of MRSA in April 2004-March 2005, compared to 127 in the previous year.

During that time, the trust's John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital, and Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, and The Horton Hospital, Banbury, treated 700,000 people -- meaning that MRSA affected 0.13 per cent of patients.