NHS watchdog says hospitals winning infection battle
Healthcare Commission says NHS trusts winning battle to reduce hospital infection rates
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Monday, 24, Nov 2008 04:30
The Healthcare Commission has claimed that NHS trusts are winning the battle to reduce hospital infection rates.
But it added there was still work to do. The commission, which recently carried out a series of unannounced spot checks, said 27 of the 51 hospital trusts it visited were failing to keep all areas of their hospitals clean and well maintained.
Issues ranged from those of basic cleanliness, to clutter or poorly maintained hospital interiors.
The commission said one in five hospital trusts did not comply with all requirements for the decontamination of hospital equipment and that trusts which failed to do this had no clear strategy for decontamination.
Meanwhile in one in eight trusts, the provision of isolation facilities in order to contain the spread of infections was not adequate.
In over a fifth of hospital trusts there were issues related to staff training, information and supervision, the commission said. While training on preventing and controlling infection was often in place, boards could not always ensure that training days were well attended or that staff used their knowledge in practice.
Only five trusts complied with all requirements of the hygiene code with more than half of the remainder being told to make improvements.
While almost all cases did not represent an immediate risk to the safety of patients, the commission said almost all acute trusts had more work to do to get systems for infection prevention and control in place.
Anna Walker, the commission's chief executive, said it was clear the NHS was paying close attention to infection prevention and control.
"Where we have raised concerns, we have generally been encouraged by the positive and prompt response at those trusts," she said. "Importantly, we have found few breaches requiring immediate action to protect the safety of patients – and where we have we have taken swift action. There are signs that all this is paying real dividends in terms of the impact on infection."