Standards Report
Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Standards Report (PDF, 197K, 27secs)
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Background
The HAI Task Force (HAITF) was established in 2003 by the Scottish Executive Health Department, now the Scottish Government Health Directorates (SGHD), and leads on a programme of HAI work in NHSScotland. As part of this programme of work NHS QIS was tasked with a review of its HAI standards in the context of the broader HAI agenda.
These standards are one component of the drive for a safer NHSScotland, and complement the comprehensive HAI programme already under way, including the work of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme and Health Protection Scotland.
Infection control is everybody’s business
The standards emphasise the need for all staff to be involved in infection control, and that HAI initiatives are not solely the responsibility of infection control teams. They aim to reiterate that the role of key infection control staff is to support measures to reduce HAI within their NHS board by providing expert knowledge and guidance to enable each member of staff to carry out their role in a way which contributes to the overall aim to minimise HAI.
Development of the standards
Work on the revision of the standards for HAI began in November 2006 with a scoping exercise to review current evidence relating to HAI and define the topic areas of the standards. The associated scoping report identified five key themes where NHS QIS could support quality improvement in NHSScotland:
- compliance
- patient focus and public involvement
- prevention and control of infection
- environment and equipment, and
- education and training.
In February 2007 NHS QIS appointed a project group to review the scoping report and use it to inform development of standards under the five key themes. The group was chaired by Mr Robin Creelman, SGHD HAI Task Force Public Involvement and Communications Team chairman, and consisted of a variety of healthcare professionals involved in the prevention and control of infection and patient representation.
The draft standards were published in August 2007 and consultation took place between August and October 2007. The draft standards were revised in light of this consultation prior to the publication of the final standards for Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) in March 2008.
A document detailing the project group’s response to each consultation comment is available from the standards development unit upon request.
Next steps
The associated self-assessment framework and guidance notes for its completion will be further developed in collaboration with colleagues in the service and the NHS QIS performance assessment unit. These documents will be available in due course on the NHS QIS website. Future arrangements for performance assessment will take account of other associated HAI work
See also
Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI)
Scottish Patient Safety Alliance
Equality & Diversity
NHS QIS is committed to equality and diversity. This document, and the research on which it is based, have been assessed for any likely impact on the six equality groups defined by age, gender, race/ethnicity, religion/faith, disability and sexual orientation. For a summary of the equality and diversity impact assessment, please see the
EQIA Report here
