The Government has outlined a package of measures to help reduce healthcare associated infections (HAIs) in hospitals including new responsibilities for matrons, new guidance on clothing and the isolation of patients who are infected. The package follows the announcement in July of an extra £50 million to tackle healthcare associated infections.
• Matrons and clinical directors will report quarterly directly to trust boards on infection control and cleanliness.
• New guidance on clothing will mean that hospitals will adopt a new “bare below the elbows” dress code i.e. short sleeves, no wrist watch, no jewellery.
• New clinical guidance to increase the use of isolation for those patients who are infected with MRSA or Clostridium difficile.
• Anew legal requirement will be placed on all chief executives to report all MRSA bacteraemias and C. difficile infections to the “Health Protection Agency”. This will be backed by fines.
• Screening of patients for MRSA and deep cleaning of all hospital wards.
• All new health workers will require medical checks for tuberculosis and hepatitis B and will be offered vaccinations if needed. In addition, all those new to performing “exposure prone procedures” that carry an increased risk of cross infection such as surgery or obstetrics and gynaecology must be cleared for hepatitis C and HIV.
The Healthcare Commission is also to carry out unannounced inspections at 120 NHS Trusts over the coming year in its biggest ever programme of visits relating to healthcareassociated infection.
Further details of the Government’s proposals for combating HAIs can be found on page 64.
