Immediate Action Taken On Healthcare Commission Improvement Notice - Hospital Acquired Infections Continue To Fall At Ashford & St. Peter's Hospitals

Main Category: MRSA / Drug Resistance
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses;  Public Health
Article Date: 25 Jun 2008 - 12:00 PDT

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"The Healthcare Commission have an important role to play in ensuring high standards and we welcomed and cooperated fully with their inspection of both Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals on 5th and 6th June," says Ashford and St. Peter's Chief Executive, Paul Bentley. "Whilst the initial feedback we received from the visit was positive we were concerned to learn on the afternoon of 13th June that an improvement notice was to be issued in respect of a special pressure relieving 'air' mattress decontamination room and a risk assessment on a bench top steriliser, at Ashford Hospital. Acknowledging these observations we have already taken action to start to resolve these issues including the immediate closure on the evening of 13th June of the small decontamination room."

Ashford and St. Peter's is a 534 bed hospital service with 66 beds on the Ashford Hospital site. Ordinary mattresses used for the majority of patients are cleaned on the wards and are not affected by the improvement notice. The small mattress decontamination room at Ashford Hospital, mentioned in the improvement notice, was used to hand clean two or three special pressure relieving 'air' mattresses per week. Due to the nature of services at Ashford Hospital the turnover on these special pressure relieving 'air' mattresses is small and does not impact on the delivery of clinical services.

Mattress decontamination at St. Peter's Hospital is entirely separate and is not identified in the improvement notice. Patient services at both Ashford and St. Peter's have not been affected by the closure of the small decontamination facility at Ashford.

Mr Bentley continued: "I have asked our Deputy Chief Executive and Medical Director, Dr Mike Baxter, to urgently review the issues raised by the Healthcare Commission. I know that this news may be of concern to our patients. However Dr Baxter and I can reassure patients and the public that both Ashford and St. Peter's are hospitals where we strive to ensure safety and reduce risks. We are not aware that any of our patients who used the special pressure relieving air mattresses or the bench top steriliser have been adversely affected by the issues raised by the Healthcare Commission. Indeed our falling rates of hospital acquired infections are a good indicator of this."

The rate of MRSA bacteraemia at Ashford and St. Peter's has fallen to such an extent that the Trust now has the lowest rate in Surrey and levels of C. difficile have fallen significantly since July 2007 but can be driven down further. In 2007/08 there were a total of 15 cases of MRSA bacteraemia - less than half the number of cases in 2006/07. Of these 15 cases 7 (47%) were admitted from the community with MRSA including one from a hospital abroad.

In January to March 2008 there were 68 cases of C. difficile. This compares to 94 cases in October to December 2007 and 123 cases July to September 2007. These include inpatients and community cases and C. difficile remains a national problem with rates increasingly significantly when areas are affected by Norovirus.

Initiatives introduced by the Infection Control Team at both Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals to combat Healthcare Acquired Infections (HCAIs) include:

• 'Clean Your Hands' campaign with gel dispensing machines and signage placed at entrances throughout both hospital sites
• 'talking frames' near ward and clinical areas which are activated by movement and remind people to cleanse their hands;
• introduction of the Microfibre cleaning system at Ashford Hospital;
• a review of Antibiotic prescribing guidelines and employment of a dedicated antibiotics pharmacist;
• a review of the widely used Infection Control Manual and the introduction of Infection Control 'outbreak packs' to wards and clinical areas enabling them to quickly implement additional infection control measures when they are needed.

The latest (2008) results received by the Trust from the National Patient Safety Agency for Patient Environment Action Team inspections for the Trust's hospitals are:

Ashford Hospital
Environment - Acceptable
Food - Excellent
Privacy & Dignity - Excellent

St. Peter
Environment - Acceptable
Food - Good
Privacy & Dignity - Good

www.ashfordstpeters.nhs.uk.