Friday 3rd September 2010

Infection Control Week

October 20th to 24th is National Infection Control Week Sue and Patty

National Resource for Infection Control (NRIC) in collaboration with the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) and The International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH)

Infection Control Week is an event held every year to highlight the work that the staff in local community healthcare settings and hospitals do all year round, to keep patients and clients who come into contact with healthcare services safe and free from healthcare associated infections such as MRSA, Clostridium difficile and Norovirus. It is also to draw attention to the evidence based safe practice that is routinely used whilst carrying out 'patient care' procedures in the community such as catheter care or nursing immunocompromised patients from the increased risk of all types of infections. This collaboration between the National Resource for Infection Control (NRIC) the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) Community Group and the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene aims to highlight 'National Infection Control Week 2008' and to encourage Infection Prevention and Control Specialists and other healthcare staff to use this opportunity to demonstrate the importance of infection prevention and control in whichever setting they may work.

Clean Hands Campaign

"The prevention and control of healthcare associated infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile continues to be one of the highest priorities for the NHS. Patients have a right to expect to be treated in a clean and safe environment. HCAI is not just a hospital issue - it is a challenge to the whole health and social care community to implement best practice to reduce infection risks. Infection Control Week has a key role in strengthening the essential partnerships between infection experts, the vast majority of other health and social care staff, patients and their relatives to promote the message that infection prevention and control is everyone's responsibility."

Professor Brian Duerden CBE - Inspector of Microbiology and Infection Control, DH

"In recent years hygiene has had a somewhat negative image. We need to make hygiene more appealing to the public by realigning it alongside positive attributes of health and well being. Persuading the public of the need to share responsibility without being accused of shifting blame however represents a significant challenge"

Sally Bloomfield - Chairman & Board member of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene IFH; Honorary Professor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK

Resources

Aims of Infection Prevention and Control Week

To assist infection prevention and control professionals in planning and implementing this important event so that it impacts significantly as part of their annual local infection prevention and control programme.
To ensure that staff working within the diverse healthcare environment and patients homes understand their role, accountability and responsibility in reducing healthcare associated infection and communicable diseases
To support the principles of national policy and guidance, chiefly the Health Act 2006 "Code of Practice for the prevention and control of healthcare associated infection"
To help improve quality of care, clinical outcomes and patient safety through evidence based infection prevention and control practice
To encourage IP&C Teams to acknowledge that infection recognises no boundaries and to renew the commitment to joint working in infection prevention and control across organisational boundaries and in the interest of the wider community
To advertise what is available locally to support patients/clients/relatives/the community and staff who require information on infection prevention and control and infectious diseases

NeLI & NRIC

The National Resource for Infection Control (NRIC) a specialist digital library for infection prevention and control, was launched in May 2005 in response to National Audit Office (2000/04) recommendations for a national infection control manual. The project funded by the Department of Health (UK) is endorsed by the National electronic Library of Infection (NeLI) and provides a single access point to the best available evidence and resources on infection prevention and control.

Infection Prevention Society (formerly ICNA)

The ICNA was formed in 1970, to provide a network for infection control nurses to meet and share learning together. Over the past 37 years it has grown to become the leading nursing organisation in the UK in the field of infection prevention and control. In 2006 the membership of the ICNA recognised that many other disciplines and roles have emerged within the field of infection prevention and control and that all would benefit from each other through membership of the same organisation.

International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene

IFH is a global, professional, not-for-profit organisation, which was established in 1997 in response to concerns about the lack of expert international or national bodies, which could speak from a scientific or medical standpoint about home & community hygiene.