Infection control training for over one million NHS staff

Main Category: MRSA / Drug Resistance
Article Date: 05 Nov 2004 - 15:00 PDT

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New UK Chief Nurse says all staff must play their part in fight against MRSA -

Over one million NHS staff will receive infection control training to help in the fight against MRSA, the new Chief Nursing Officer Chris Beasley announced today. All staff covered by the new NHS pay scheme Agenda for Change - including nurses, porters, cleaners and healthcare assistants - must show that they are able to reduce the risk of healthcare associated infections, including MRSA.

Chris Beasley said:

'Tackling hospital acquired infections is my top priority, and I have set out a number of ways to do this in the Matron's Charter, published last month. However, there is another front on which we will fight MRSA: through Agenda for Change. The proposed new Knowledge and Skills Framework - a key part of the Agenda for Change package - will help staff to recognise how they can play a part in maintaining high standards of cleanliness in the NHS.

"All staff covered by Agenda for Change, whether nurses, healthcare assistants, porters or cleaners, must show that they can develop and apply the appropriate knowledge and skills to reduce the risks of healthcare associated infections. Personal development plans will give staff and managers an opportunity to identify how to raise standards of cleanliness.

"So Agenda for Change will not just be good for nurses' pay and careers but it will also be another weapon against the the number one concern for patients."

Chris Beasley was speaking on the first day of the Chief Nursing Officer's conference, held Wednesday to Friday this week in Manchester.

Notes to editor

1. The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework is a tool providing a means of recognising the broad skills and knowledge that a person needs to apply to be effective in a particular NHS post. The framework will be applicable across the range of NHS posts covered by Agenda for Change, ensuring better links between education, development, career and pay progression.

2. The aim is that staff will:

- have clear and consistent development objectives;

- be helped to develop in such a way that they can apply the knowledge and skills appropriate to their job;

- be helped to identify and develop knowledge and skills that will support their career progression and encourage lifelong learning.

3. Staff will have annual development reviews provided by their line manager and they will be able to agree personal development plans.

4. The KSF describes health, safety and security as a key aspect of all jobs to which Agenda for Change applies. It makes it clear that it is vital that everyone takes responsibility for promoting the health, safety and security of patients and clients, the public, colleagues and themselves. The KSF describes how, as staff move forward in their careers, their responsibilities for activities connected with health, safety and security also progress and the different levels of competence required. One of the ways in which staff progress is by being more proactive and more focussed on good practice and going from following set procedures to identifying the need for improvement.

6. By making this a key aspect of all jobs covered by the NHS KSF it will help to raise staff's awareness of their immediate and continuing responsibility for good practice in general hygiene.

7. For media enquiries only contact Victoria MacCallum or David Hands at the Department of Health media centre on 020 7210 5281 or 7210 5896.

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