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Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
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Keeping it CLEAN

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Hospital cleanliness and the risk of infection by 'superbugs' such as MRSA and C.diff (Clostridium difficile) are very important issues for our patients.

We understand this, so we set ourselves the very highest standards and maintain a 'zero tolerance' approach to infection.

Our patients and visitors can help us to achieve this target by observing a few simple hygiene precautions:

  • Wash hands when visibly dirty, after using the toilet or before eating
  • Only bring children into the hospital to visit if absolutely necessary, as they tend to have more infections than adults
  • If you are visiting, observe our visitor code:
    • Two visitors maximum per patient at any one time
    • Please don't sit on the beds, use the visitor chairs provided
    • If you yourself are unwell, do not visit

 

If a ward is closed because of infection, we prefer you not to visit.  If visiting is essential, please discuss with the ward manager.

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"Safe, quality care remains our top priority and the prevention of infection plays a huge part of this. Over the past few years, through a lot of hard work, commitment and determination from our excellent Infection Prevention and Control Team and staff across the Trust, we are delighted that the number of Healthcare Acquired Infections (HCAIs) across our hospitals has dropped significantly.

"The Trust has robust protocols available publically which describe how the screening will take place. We continue to work very hard to ensure that our staff and patients remain focussed on reducing the risk of infection and you can see some examples below."

Helen Blanchard, Chief Nursing Officer

Clostridium difficile (C.diff)

We have made huge progress in controlling this superbug in the last five years, and the number of new cases per month is now very small. We control the use of antibiotics tightly (these are recognised to be probably the strongest factor in causing C.diff infection) and any patient with diarrhoea is speedily isolated, if possible within four hours. We have fast track cleaning teams who are trained to use additional cleaning methods to clean isolation rooms and ward bays used by infected patients.

If you are unfortunate enough to get C.diff, we will tell your GP so that (s)he will know how best to prevent your getting it again.

Norovirus

This is the germ that causes infectious gastroenteritis in schools, nurseries, residential homes and hospitals usually during the winter. It is highly contagious.  As soon as we have a confirmed case, we will warn visitors, staff and other patients; it is best not to visit the hospital at this time unless you must. Careful handwashing will help to protect you from infection. 

Click here for NHS choices Norovirus information.

Influenza

This infection tends to occur in epidemics in the winter. Usually, affected patients are elderly, but this isn't always the case. All people over the age of 65, and some younger people are eligible for free vaccination every Autumn, which will give you complete protection. At times of influenza epidemic, hospitals are under very great strain, so again visit only if absolutely necessary. Follow the Department of health advice to 'Catch it, bin it, kill it'.

Every year the Infection Prevention & Control team prepare hospital staff for the expected influenza epidemic with education sessions and training in the correct use of protective masks.

Click here for NHS choices Influenza information.

 

Pipa Boxes Speak Up for Hand Hygiene

We remind staff and patients to use hand gel for hand decontamination with PIPA boxes which play a recorded message.

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Back to the Floor Poster

This eye-catching floor poster is another way of reminding staff, patients and visitors of the importance of hand hygiene as they enter ward areas.

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Bare below the Elbows

The Trust follows national guidance for doctors, nurses and other clinical staff having direct contact with patients to adopt short or rolled up sleeves, no wristwatches and no rings other than wedding rings.

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Infection Control Management System

The Infection Prevention team use a commercial database system, ICNet, to gather, store and process data on patients with infections. This enables an Infection Prevention Nurse to respond quickly to requests for advice or information from anywhere in the Trust, and means we can produce very powerful statistical reports to monitor our progress in controlling infection. 

Award Winning Infection Control Team

In 2008, our Infection Prevention and Control Team won the prestigious Infection Control Team of the Year Award sponsored by international microbiology specialists Oxoid for their work to reduce hospital acquired infections.

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European Antibiotic Awareness Day

The Infection prevention team have run education campaigns as part of this international drive to limit the use of antibiotics. This is vitally important both for the control of Cdif infection, and to reduce the amount of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

Pictured: Dr Anne Dyas runs a stand at the Alexandra Hospital for European Antibiotic Awareness Day, November 2010.

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Teaching programme

The infection prevention team offer a wide programme of teaching to all levels of staff; attendance at core elements is compulsory. Teaching covers types of infection and their control, the proper use of equipment and protective clothing, and the correct procedures for MRSA screening and outbreak control, to give a few examples.

Pictured: teaching use of personal protective equipment

Pictured: a display at a teaching session

 

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