Hospital battle to beat killer superbugs hots up (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Hospital battle to beat killer superbugs hots up

16268/2Community hospitals are polishing up their already shining act in a bid to keep killer bugs at bay, reports JILL CROOKS

INFECTION buster Julie Clatworthy is determined that community hospitals are clean so patients are safe from killer superbugs such as MRSA.

Mrs Clatworthy, who joined the Kennet and North Wiltshire and West Wiltshire Primary Care Trusts as chief nurse just under three months ago, is keen to reassure the public that community hospitals are already cleaned to high standards and infection rates are low.

But she is not resting on her laurels and is planning to introduce several initiatives to combat infection.

Mrs Clatworthy said: "People going into hospital to be treated must be worried that they will catch MRSA because of the stories in the media.

"In our nine community hospitals we have very low infection rates and cases of MRSA but we are not complacent. Patient safety is an absolute priority for us and we will be tightening up what we do."

The senior nurses at the community hospitals will be renamed modern matrons and the trust has secured two training places at Oxford Brookes University to train infection control nurses who will be responsible for setting and auditing clinical standards as well as training staff.

Mrs Clatworthy has arranged for all district and community nurses who visit patients in their homes to have portable gel packs containing disinfectant so they can wash their hands.

She is also drawing up posters to be displayed in the entrances to hospital wards targeting visitors to reinforce the message of cleanliness.

All visitors to the community hospitals are asked to wash their hands and there are cleansing gel dispensers at the end of each bed and sideroom.

Mrs Clatworthy also wants patients to play a part. She is compiling information leaflets which will be given to patients explaining the hygiene measures that are in place and asking them to be vigilant. She said: "We want to encourage patients to ask staff to wash their hands."

She will also be updating the trust's policy on uniforms to ensure all staff have enough uniforms and outline the frequency of washing uniforms.

It the first time both trusts have employed a chief nurse. Joint chief executive Carol Clarke created the position when she joined last October.

Mrs Clatworthy's job role is to provide clinical leadership and direction. She moved from Solihull Primary Care Trust, where Mrs Clarke was chief executive before she moved here.

At Solihull Mrs Clatworthy was director of nursing and therapies and modernisation lead and she established robust clinical governance arrangements culminating in one of the best Commission for Health Improvement reviews in the country.

Mrs Clatworthy, a qualified nurse for 25 years, said: "None of what we are introducing is rocket science but is about us being proactive. It's important to have these systems in place to make sure people are safe."