Leaders of European, national and international organisations representing healthcare workers and national and international academic experts agreed that urgent and decisive implementation of the EU Sharps Directive is needed to prevent potentially fatal or life-changing infections.
The 1st European Biosafety Summit, hosted by the European Biosafety Network in Madrid, stated in its “call for action” that national governments must implement the directive through national legislation without delay or compromise. National legislation is the most effective route to fully implement the requirements of the directive and there must be significant penalties for non or late compliance. This “call for action” comes at a critical time as over 500 people were recently asked to undergo testing, by three hospital Trusts in North and East Yorkshire, following the discovery that a healthcare worker who treated them may have been infected with HIV. The EU Directive on prevention from sharps injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector was adopted by the European Council of Ministers on 11 May 2010 and published in the European Journal (OJEU) on 1 June 2010. The requirements of the directive must be implemented in all EU Member States by 11 May 2013 at the latest. The Summit concluded that there was a need for an integrated approach to implementation of the Directive. Comprehensive user training, safer working practices and the use of medical devices incorporating safety-engineered protection mechanisms have been proven by independent studies to prevent the majority of needlestick injuries. Studies have also shown that failure to implement any one of these three elements results in a significantly reduced impact. Professor Máximo González, co-chair of the summit and president of the Spanish General Council of Nurses, said: “The Sharps Directive is a fantastic achievement by the social partners, the European Commission and the European Parliament but there is still a long way to go and many difficulties to overcome as its transposition is complicated. We will be monitoring progress on implementation, raising awareness and, where appropriate, calling on politicians and government bodies to take action to tackle any implementation problems. Healthcare workers have already waited too long for this protection.”
