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News ArticleA new national service has been established to improve the quality and management of healthcare construction and refurbishment projects across NHS Scotland. NHS Scotland Assure brings together experts to improve quality and support the design, construction and maintenance of major healthcare developments. This world first interdisciplinary team will include microbiologists, infection prevention and control nurses, architects, planners, and engineers. Commissioned by the Scottish Government and established by NHS National Services Scotland, the service will work with Health Boards to ensure healthcare buildings are designed with infection prevention and control practice in mind, protecting patients and improving safety. Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Humza Yousaf said: “NHS Scotland Assure will support a culture of collaboration and transparency to provide the reassurance patients and their families deserve to feel safe in our hospitals. This service is unique to Scotland and is leading the way in risk and quality management across healthcare facilities. “With services designed with patients in mind, we can make a real, positive difference to people’s lives.” Read full story Source: Scottish Government, 1 June 2021
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News ArticleThousands of hospital patients were allowed to return to their care homes without a Covid test despite a direct plea to the government from major care providers not to allow the practice, the Observer has been told. As the crisis began to unfold in early March 2020, providers held an emergency meeting with department of health officials in which they urged the government not to force them to accept untested residents. However, weeks later, official advice remained that tests were not mandatory and thousands of residents are thought to have returned to their homes without a negative Covid result. The revelation will heap further pressure on the health secretary, Matt Hancock, who has admitted some care residents returned from hospital without a test. It comes after Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s former senior adviser, last week accused Hancock of misleading the prime minister over the policy, during his unprecedented evidence in parliament. Some 25,000 people were discharged to care homes between 17 March and 15 April, and there is widespread belief among social care workers and leaders that this allowed the virus to get into the homes. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 29 May 2021
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News ArticleAlmost as soon as the pandemic struck early last year, NHS England recognised that patients catching Covid-19 while they were in hospital for non-Covid care was a real risk and could lead to even more deaths than were already occurring. Unfortunately their fears have been borne out by events since – every acute hospital in England has been hit by this problem to some extent. Over the last 15 months various NHS and medical bodies have looked into hospital-acquired Covid and published reports and detailed guidance to help hospitals stem its spread. They include the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) and Public Health England (PHE). Last May, for example, PHE estimated that 20% of coronavirus infections in hospitalised patients and almost 90% of infections among healthcare staff may have been nosocomial, meaning they were caught in a hospital setting. Before the pandemic the NHS was over-stretched and resources were limited. The crisis distorted it further out of shape and despite NHS staff making huge efforts to contain the virus in extremely challenging circumstances, too often they were overwhelmed. There are many other reasons, including inadequate ventilation, the sharing of equipment, and nurses and doctors having to gather at nurses’ stations and in doctors’ messes. Some bereaved relatives also cite hospitals deciding – inexplicably – to put their Covid-free loved ones in a bay or ward with one or more people who had the disease, sometimes resulting in tragedy. While some of these inherent weaknesses have been addressed, others remain, leaving further infections and even more deaths in this way a distinct possibility if the NHS is hit by another Covid surge. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 24 May 2021
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News Article
Up to 8,700 patients died after catching Covid in English hospitals
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Up to 8,700 patients died after catching Covid-19 while in hospital being treated for another medical problem, according to official NHS data obtained by the Guardian. The figures, which were provided by the hospitals themselves, were described as “horrifying” by relatives of those who died. Jeremy Hunt, the former health secretary, said that hospital-acquired Covid “remains one of the silent scandals of this pandemic, causing many thousands of avoidable deaths”. NHS leaders and senior doctors have long claimed hospitals have struggled to stop Covid spreading because of shortages of single rooms, a lack of personal protective equipment and an inability to test staff and patients early in the pandemic. Now, official figures supplied by NHS trusts in England show that 32,307 people have probably or definitely contracted the disease while in hospital since March 2020 – and 8,747 of them died. That means that almost three in 10 (27.1%) of those infected that way lost their lives within 28 days. “The NHS has done us all proud over the past year, but these new figures are devastating and pose challenging questions on whether the right hospital infection controls were in place”, said Hunt, who chairs the Commons health and social care select committee. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 24 May 2021 -
EventuntilChoose the right dressing for the right wound: reduce waste, save time, save money, enhance lives In this webinar the following topics will be discussed: FarlaCare and their simple colour coding wound assistive solutions Demistifying wound care and helping you to do your job with ease Pick the right dressing every time, less waste, less time and less consumption. Speakers: Roy Lilley, health policy analyst, writer, broadcaster and commentator on the National Health Service and social issues Dr Leanne Atkin, PhD MHSc RGN is a Lecturer Practitioner at University of Huddersfield. Sian Fumarola, Head of Clinical Procurement at Integrated Supplies and Procurement Department, Stoke on Trent, NHS Supply Chains Katie Leek, Tissue Viability Nurse at NHS Register for the webinar
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Event
Webinar: World Hand Hygiene Day 2022
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
When people seek healthcare, they are hoping to get better. Too often, however, they end up getting a new, avoidable infection – which is often resistant to antimicrobials and can sometimes even be fatal. When a health facility’s “quality and safety climate or culture” values hand hygiene and infection prevention and control (IPC), this results in both patients and health workers feeling protected and cared for. That is why the World Hand Hygiene Day (WHHD) theme for 2022 is a “health care quality and safety climate or culture” that values hand hygiene and IPC, and the slogan is “Unite for safety: clean your hands”. This webinar will bring together experts from WHO and from academic institutions and leaders from the field to discuss how a strong institutional quality and safety climate or culture that values hand hygiene and IPC is a critical element of effective strategies to reduce the spread of infection and antimicrobial resistance. New evidence on this as well as priorities for research in this area identified by WHO will be presented. With the help of a facilitator, participants will have the unique opportunity to dialogue with the expert panel and bring their experiences. The webinar will also be the exceptional moment for the launch of the first WHO global report on IPC. Now is the time to unite by talking about and working together on an institutional safety climate that believes in hand hygiene for IPC and high-quality, safe care. Objectives To overview the new WHO hand hygiene research agenda and evidence on the role of a health care quality and safety climate or culture for hand hygiene improvement. To describe a range of experiences regarding the evidence for and efforts to support a health care quality culture and safety climate through clean hands and IPC programmes of work. To launch the first WHO global report on IPC. Register -
EventECRI has released its newest list of the Top 10 patient safety concerns confronting healthcare organisations. Healthcare providers, regardless of their practice setting, can start with our Top 10 list and use it to guide their own discussions about patient safety and improvement initiatives. This top 10 report highlights patient safety concerns across the continuum of care because patient safety strategies increasingly focus on collaborating with other provider organizations, community agencies, patients or residents, and family members. Each patient safety concern on this list may affect more than one setting. Join ECRI to learn more about the identified concerns and how your organisation can begin to address them. Register
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Event
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
untilHow to successfully apply audit technology to your infection control systems, to prepare for winter and transform team performance. Please register here to join the webinar. -
EventuntilJoin BD this live educational event designed to promote discussions on the following topics: An overview of the latest evidence-based prevention measures of HAI (SSI). Essential bundles of an effective infection prevention and control program management in cardiac surgery. Review of the sustainable change in practice within operating room. The event is designed for cardiac surgeons, infection control and nurses who are interested in learning more about new techniques and methodologies to minimise some of the most challenging post-operative complications, with an opportunity to debate and share opinions with peers through live discussions with internationally renowned faculty. Register
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The NHS ICU Virtual Summit: Future-proofing critical care
Sam posted an event in Community Calendar
The countries focus on critical care services in England has increased because of COVID-19. A significant proportion of hospitalised patients with COVID-19 require help with breathing, including mechanical ventilation and other services critical care staff and units provide. Delivering sufficient critical care capacity goes beyond physical infrastructures – such as having more beds and equipment – and requires sufficient numbers of trained and available staff. The NHS ICU Virtual Summit: Future-Proofing Critical Care conference aims to celebrate the current efforts of ICU staff, in this time of unprecedented strain, via best practice and practical insight. We will also take a look at some key areas of potential improvement including: Understanding intensive care staffing, occupancy and capacity. Infection control. Crisis management and emergency preparedness. Clinical Information Systems. NHS staff and services will continue to be tested to their limits over the coming months, this short but high-value session aims to bring peers together from across the UK to share best practice and outcomes. Register -
Content ArticleIn July 2021, the UK Government lifted all Covid protections, meaning people were no longer legally obliged to take infection control measures such as wearing face masks in designated places. Twelve months on, the UK is facing high levels of infection and hospitalisations from Covid-19. In this opinion piece for The BMJ, members of Independent SAGE—a group of scientists working together to provide independent scientific advice about Covid-19 to the UK government and public—propose a series of measures to help people make informed decisions that will reduce the risk of illness and disruption to them, their families and their communities. The authors accuse the government of ignoring published scientific advice from their own advisory group, SPI-B, and call for action to give people the information they need to make responsible personal choices as part of the plan to 'live with Covid'.
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Content ArticleDespite under-reporting, health workers (HWs) accounted for 2-30% of the reported COVID-19 cases worldwide. In line with data from other countries, Jordan recorded multiple case surges among HWs. This study from Tarif et al. looked at infection prevention and control risk factors in HWs infected with Covid-19. Study findings confirmed the role of hand hygiene as one of the most cost-effective measures to combat the spreading of viral infections.
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Content ArticleThis study in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology aimed to determine the extent to which asymptomatic individuals infected with Covid-19 transmitted the disease to other patients and staff on a hospital ward. The authors found that a comprehensive symptoms and signs assessment, in combination with adequate follow-up, allows for a more precise determination of Covid-19 symptoms. The results of the study revealed that asymptomatic infection was quite uncommon amongst adults in this setting.
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Content Article
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We’re looking for patients to help raise awareness of the damaging impact that surgical infections can have on people, and guide improvements. Have you ever been in surgery and contracted an infection? Do you want to share your experience anonymously and help create change? Take part in this survey: Experiences of Surgical Infections -
Content ArticleEvery day we use tools and resources to manage our lives, both personally and professionally. As a healthcare professional, you are committed to providing safe quality healthcare to all individuals. The checklists in this book are designed to help you succeed in that effort. You may be a first-time reader who has not had the opportunity to put these tools to the test, or you could be a returning reader interested in what new checklists you can use. In either instance, if you’re reading this book, then you are searching for tools to help your healthcare organisation navigate the increasing complexities of providing quality health care and maintaining the physical environment where healthcare is delivered.
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Content ArticleGovernment must seize the post-pandemic opportunity to mandate long-term improvements to infection control in commercial, public and residential buildings to reduce the transmission of future waves of COVID-19, new pandemics, seasonal influenza and other infectious diseases, according to a report published by the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC). Infection control must also be coordinated with efforts to improve energy efficiency and fire safety, to support the three goals of safe, healthy and sustainable buildings. Commissioned in 2021 by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance FRS FMedSci, the NEPC research, led by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), set out to identify the measures needed in the UK’s built environment and transport systems to reduce transmission of infectious diseases. Ensuring that buildings and transport systems are designed, operated, managed and regulated for infection control is critical to minimise transmission, states the report.
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Content ArticleA spike in infections every three months seems to be the pattern, but the UK has the power to beat this if we act wisely writes Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, in the article for the Guardian. She suggests the UK should be planning to roll out boosters to the entire population this autumn, using an age and risk factor priority scheme (instead of just to people over 75, those in care homes and those with weakened immune systems: these are the people covered by the current spring booster scheme). Antiviral supply should be put in place in pharmacies and GPs, working towards a “test to treat” scheme where soon after testing positive, those who are in vulnerable and elderly groups, for whom vaccines might be less effective, can get access to effective treatment early on.
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Content ArticleThis letter from NHS England and NHS Improvement sent to clinical commissioning groups and trusts set out the changes to infection prevention and control measures following updates from the UK Health Security Agency.
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Content ArticleEarly in the pandemic, neither the NHS’s clinical or ancillary staff nor social care workers were adequately protected from the risks of catching covid-19 in the course of their work. In the UK alone, hundreds of infected workers have died, thousands have been admitted to hospital, and tens of thousands have experienced long term effects, How do we improve staff protection next time? Here’s David Oliver's manifesto.
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Content ArticleThis report from the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers allows users to assess the variety of air cleaning devices currently marketed for the removal of SARS-CoV-2, and to discover which air cleaner, if any, will effectively reduce transmission risk in a given space. This guidance will be of use to lay-readers, and also to those requiring a detailed background of air flow performance metrics, pollutant and viral decay, and tools assessing the performance of air cleaners in context.
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Content ArticleThis Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) investigation aims to improve patient safety in relation to the decontamination of surgical instruments. It focuses on the work of sterile services departments (SSDs) in hospitals, where reusable medical equipment is cleaned, disinfected and sterilised to make it safe before it is used again. The investigation looked at the regulatory framework which SSDs work within, and their use of assurance models, which provide evidence that a service is running according to the relevant policies and procedures. These mechanisms are designed to keep patients safe and enable NHS trusts to manage risk within their organisations. For its reference case, the investigation used the case of a 56 year-old woman who underwent surgery to remove a kidney stone in her right kidney. During the procedure, 'black stuff' came out of one of the instruments being used, which was later analysed and found to be dried blood. The surgeon stopped the surgery immediately and proceeded with an alternative procedure to remove the kidney stone, for which the patient had already consented. The patient was tested for blood-borne viruses as she had been exposed to another person's dried blood, but tests did not show any evidence that she had contracted any.
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Content ArticleIn this article for The BMJ, Matthew Limb looks at the findings of the British Medical Association's (BMA's) review of the UK's management of the pandemic. The review found that many doctors had traumatic experiences during the pandemic, and highlights the following areas where the government could have better supported doctors: Preparedness including chronic underfunding of the NHS Personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages Inadequate infection prevention and control guidance Testing failures Lack of risk assessment and failure to protect vulnerable staff Deaths Long Covid Exhaustion Mental health and emotional wellbeing Anxiety and moral injury Isolation Lack of support Career prospects The review did also highlight the vaccination campaign and rollout as a notable success in the government's response to the pandemic.
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Content ArticleThis French study in the Journal of Hospital Infection evaluated the frequency and factors associated with environmental air and surface contamination in rooms of patients with acute Covid-19. It aimed to increase understanding of how the virus is transmitted in hospitals. The authors found that surfaces seemed to be more frequently contaminated with Covid-19 than air or mask samples, and noted that viable virus was rarely found. They suggest that samples from the inside of patients' face masks could be used to identify patients with a higher risk of contamination.
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Content ArticleThe Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Review was prompted by public and political concern following reports of the deaths of three patients between December 2018 and February 2019. The deaths had been linked to rare microorganisms and concern was growing that these organisms were in turn linked to the built environment at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) and Royal Hospital for Children (RHC). The Review's remit was: “To establish whether the design, build, commissioning and maintenance of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Royal Hospital for Children has had an adverse impact on the risk of Healthcare Associated Infection and whether there is wider learning for NHS Scotland”.
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Content ArticleThese resources by Health Education for Scotland support their e-learning modules on hand hygiene. You will need an account to access the e-learning modules, but the supporting resources are available to download. Resources include: Hand hygiene: print version, PDF version of the SIPCEP foundation layer e-learning module 'Hand hygiene' for use in offline settings Advantages and disadvantages of alcohol based hand rub (ABHR), This document lists the advantages and disadvantages of using ABHRs and handwashing Preparing your hands before starting work: job aid, A short job aid for Hand hygiene Hand hygiene using alcohol based hand rub (ABHR): tip sheet, A short tip sheet for using ABHRs Washing hands with liquid soap and warm running water: tip sheet, A short tip sheet about washing hands with liquid soap Work based activity – Hand hygiene Video: What's stopping you? Video: Alcohol-based hand rub Video: Liquid soap and warm water
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