« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
SECTION 2 HAI Programmes
Background
The HAI Task Force recognised that the first programme had to be structured and co-ordinated around establishing the building blocks for effective prevention and control of infection. The key cornerstone to the Task Force's first programme was to therefore build good infection control practices and instil good infection prevention and hygiene practices in wards, other clinical settings and support services.
It was agreed by the then Minister for Health and Community Care, Andy Kerr, MSP that the Task Force should remain in place for the second phase of work and that its second programme should focus more on embedding the policies and practices developed in the first phase into every day practice within the NHS. The second phase of work, which ran from April 2005 to March 2008, was backed with £15 million of resources.
Annex 5 to this report gives a flavour of the comprehensive range of HAI related publications which the HAI Task Force was directly involved with between 2002 and March 2008. The following also provides a brief summary of the work that has been achieved by the HAI Task Force in the last five years:
Summary of the work completed under the first programme
The majority of the first programme of work was completed by December 2005 with some elements continuing into the second phase of work. A copy of the Delivery Plan for 2003 - 2005 is attached at Annex 2 of this report and the key outputs from the programme are highlighted, as follows:
- publication of the Code of Practice for the Local Management of Hygiene and HAI;
- clarification on prudent antibiotic prescribing practices in delivering the 2002 Antimicrobial Rsistance Strategy & Scottish Action Plan;
- development of the national HAI surveillance programme including mandatory MRSA and surgical site infection reporting;
- clarification of management and organisational structures relating to infection prevention and control;
- promotion of the use of alcohol based hand rubs;
- supporting and developing the HAI research agenda;
- developing the National Cleaning Services Specification and a monitoring framework linked to the Performance Assessment Framework ( PAF Indicator);
- creating a formal national education strategy and a raft of educational programmes, including mandatory induction training, the Cleanliness Champions programme and training for Domestic Assistants;
- Devloping national guidance on upgrading the built environment as it relates toinfection control;
- development of national standards for infection control in adult care homes
- developing model infection control policies and risk management methodologies.
Summary of the work completed under the second programme
The £15 million of resources provided for the second programme supported a broader spectrum of HAI related work and funded a range of HAI related posts in NHS Boards. Achievements are highlighted as follows:
- introducing the Health Efficiency Access to Treatment ( HEAT) target for Scotland to reduce by 30% blood infections caused by all S.aureus bacteraemias (including MRSA) as a result of HAI by March 2010;
- funding to improve NHS front-line services to support Infection Control Manager posts and Nurse Consultants in HAI to enhance leadership and management;
- funding to support Hand Hygiene Local Health Board Co-ordinators to assist the hand hygiene compliance monitoring procedures;
- continuation of regular reports on MRSA rates in Scotland's hospitals (quarterly); commissioning regular reports on surveillance of surgical site infections (annually) and the performance of hospitals against the Hospital Cleaning Services Specification (quarterly);
- commissioning new reporting of validated Clostridium difficile ( C.diff) data which now gives us an accurate starting point from which to develop our national approach towards reducing C. diff infections;
- establishing a C.diff reference lab in Scotland so that samples no longer have to be sent to the laboratory in Wales to help speed up treatment for patients;
- supporting NHS Quality Improvement Scotland's revision of the Healthcare Associated Infection ( HAI) Infection Control Standards for NHS Boards to follow;
- funding the Hand Hygiene Publicity Campaign which included a national radio and TV campaign and washroom posters; NHS posters and hand hygiene compliance monitoring; and Hand Hygiene Packs for all primary schools and nurseries;
- providing funding for the introduction of alcohol hand rub by every acute bed;
- developing a range of HAI-related education and training programmes to support improved practice;
- commissioning a Health Technology Assessment ( HTA) on the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of routine screening for MRSA.
- commissioning a national HAI Point Prevalence Survey to provide baseline information on HAI in Scottish hospitals and the burden of health service utilisation and costs;
- undertaking a review of the Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and Scottish Action Plan; which led to the formation of the Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group ( SAPG); and
- reviewing the national policy on the provision of single rooms for isolation of patients with infections.
« Previous | Contents | Next »