Infection Prevention and Control
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- Consultant gynaecologist and obstetrician Martin De Bono shows how doctors should be dressed for work on the wards
- Consultant surgeon Suhail Anwar is one of the new faces of our infection control campaign.
- A laboratory manager at work
Infection control and prevention remains a top priority at this Trust and we believe an all-round team effort is the only way to be successful.
Figures over recent years have fallen for both MRSA bacteraemias and for Clostridium difficile and the aim is to continue the downward trend as even one case is too many.
We want our patients to feel they are safe and receiving the best possible healthcare with us so, while the risk of an infection is very small indeed, reducing the risk of infections is of paramount importance.
We have cut-out figures in all key public areas reminding everyone of the need to keep hands clean by washing and using hand gels. This is the simplest, yet proven to be the most effective, way of keep infections away. Three medics are featured on them yet they reflect the commitment of the whole Trust in keeping infections out of our hospitals.
The Trust’s commitment to fighting infections was recognised nationally when we became one of eight Showcase Hospitals in the country selected to trial all new products and innovations before they are used nationwide.
New measures have included:
* Stricter uniform control with doctors now having to remove their jackets and ties and rolling up their sleeves and minimal jewellery only for all staff.
* All patients are screened before they come into hospital for MRSA
* Specialist deep cleaning methods for bed and all ward furniture at regular intervals
* Reduced use of antibiotics prescribing as this has been linked to some Clostridium difficile cases
* Specialist training for all staff inserting cannulae (intravenous lines).
David Birkenhead, the Trust’s director of infection prevention and control, said: "Reducing infection figures can only be achieved with everyone working together and by that we mean staff and patients and visitors in our hospitals."
"The measures have proved effective so far but need to remain so in the future. I would ask everyone to support us and together we can achieve the falling numbers which everyone wants to see."