« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
9. Action Plan: NHS Education for Scotland ( NES)
The primary role for NES is to continue to develop and deliver multidisciplinary education initiatives which promote prudent antimicrobial use and awareness of prevention and control of infection
Antimicrobial Prescribing Policy and Practice2 states that structures for multidisciplinary and generic undergraduate and postgraduate training related to antimicrobial prescribing should be defined. That document applied only to hospital care, and the Steering Group recommends that these issues now be extended to include 'out of hospital' practice.
The NHSScotland Code of Practice for the Local Management of Hygiene and Healthcare Associated Infection3 states that healthcare workers, i.e. clinicians and support staff, must identify specific HAI objectives for continuing professional development ( CPD) within their annual personal development plan.
NHS Education for Scotland should continue to develop and co-ordinate a national infrastructure, with the involvement of key stakeholders (Higher Education Sector, Health Protection Scotland, Medical Royal Colleges, Nursing and Midwifery Council, General Dental Council, and Royal Pharmaceutical Society), to allow all prescribers to have access to programmes on antimicrobial prescribing and resistance and the impact of both on Healthcare Associated Infection.
NES has already produced a short programme on antimicrobial prescribing, (now mandatory) for Foundation Year doctors, and this will be further developed for non-medical prescribers. A series of tutorials and vignettes are under development relating to MRSA, MSSA and C.difficile which, together with an educational package on bacterial resistance, should be available in 2008.
NES will continue to progress work in the following areas in conjunction with other key stakeholders;
- agree national core competencies for all multidisciplinary prescribers of antimicrobials and specific competencies for each profession, as appropriate.
- adapting, and making available nationally, the Scottish Government funded project on prudent prescribing for trainee doctors, for doctors in practice and other health professionals involved in prescribing ( www.dundee.ac.uk/facmedden/APT).
- ensure education programmes identify the difference between colonisation and infection with resistant organisms, e.g. MRSA
- progress multidisciplinary HAI education, ensuring accurate and good quality information relating to antimicrobial resistance
- consider, within 3-5 years, the commissioning of formal post graduate education modules in infection management, suitable for multidisciplinary education and with a focus on prescribing and the development of resistance to antimicrobials. For those who wish, MSc degrees or specific modules therein could become a feature of CPD in this area.
« Previous | Contents | Next »