PREVENTING INFECTIONS ON THE FRONTLINE: A new Survey of Frontline Staff
- “A culture of ignoring guidance”
- “Beds don’t get cold between patients, let alone cleaned”
- “Management don’t want to know”
- “Very poor leadership by Strategic Health Authority”
- “I recently asked (doctors) if they were aware of our infection control policy – none were”
These are just some of the answers the Patients Association received to its recent survey of over 500 NHS staff who deal with infection control on a daily basis. “Preventing Infections on the Frontline – a Survey of NHS Staff” will make patients wonder where the priorities for their care really lie. It confirms the continuing fault line between political rhetoric and the frontline reality.
“The desperation of senior clinical staff in these answers is obvious” said Katherine Murphy, Director of Communications. “For how much longer must patients be put unnecessarily at risk and public money allowed to pour down a sometimes very dirty drain?”
“In addition, there are so many different titles for infection control staff on the frontline that it is no wonder that Department of Health guidance fails to reach the right people” she added.
The report highlights that even new Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs) are sometimes building hospitals with too few isolation rooms, when the Government’s own guidance states that isolation facilities are fundamental to infection control.
Questions about Strategic Health Authorities have been answered with some angry responses from Trusts, prompting calls for a review of the role of SHAs and their value for money.
“Ultimately this report points to the weak leadership of too many Trust Boards. They are funded by the taxpayer to provide a safe service for patients. The Government can no longer allow such second rate management to persist.”
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