RD&E celebrates its achievements in the fight against infection
Significant achievements in infection control and prevention are being celebrated at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, as the hospital marks the fifth anniversary since its last incident of hospital acquired MRSA blood stream infection. This remarkable accomplishment comes as the result of continuous improvements at the Trust over the last 10 years thanks to the dedicated work of our staff.
The Trust is now considered a national leader in infection control, being the only general hospital in England to have avoided having any MRSA blood stream infections for the last five years. It also has one of the lowest rates of Clostridium difficile (C.diff) infection, having had the lowest rate in the South West last year.
Considerable progress has been made over a number of years to reduce the risk of health care associated infection. Health care associated infection often results in prolonged hospital stays, increased resistance to antibiotics and unnecessary deaths; therefore it has long been considered one of the Trust’s strategic objectives to eliminate avoidable infection.
Staff across the hospital have worked together to achieve this. From the Infection Control and Prevention Team and clinical staff on the wards to the domestic services team and the Executive Board, everyone has pulled together to ensure that the patients at the RD&E will receive safe, high quality and infection-free care.
Achievements over the last year (2015-16) have included:
- There have been no MRSA bloodstream infections attributed to the Trust since September 2011.
- In 2015-16, there were just 22 cases of C.diff infection apportioned to the Trust, with a rate of 8.63 per 100,000 bed days. This compares favourably to a national rate of 14.93.
- A strict antimicrobial programme has helped maintain high prescribing standards, ensuring antibiotics can remain as effective as possible against infection.
- Collaborative work with the breast surgery team over the last 18 months has reduced the risk of surgical site infection from 7% to 2.5%.
- Venous catheter related blood stream infection rates have remained low, even in high risk specialties such as renal dialysis. In 2005, there were 21 blood stream infections associated with haemodialysis patients, in 2015, there were only 3.
- High standards of hand hygiene compliance have been maintained. In 2005, Trust wide hand hygiene compliance was 59%. In the last year, it is 89.2%.
- Environmental cleanliness standards, which are monitored regularly, are maintained to a high standard.
Judy Potter, Joint Director of Infection Prevention and Control, said: “We know that infection control is an important priority for the communities we serve, therefore we are understandably very proud of what the Trust has achieved over the last decade. We have a zero tolerance approach to hospital associated infections at the RD&E, and it is very rewarding to see how everyone’s hard work has paid off. This has been a genuine team effort involving a whole range of staff, from cleaners to consultants, to protect the patients in our care. The support we have had from the Trust’s management is also a key to our success.”
Dr Alaric Colville, Joint Director of Infection Prevention and Control, added: “Fighting these infections is a constant battle, which will never end. We must remain vigilant 24 hours a day to ensure our high standards are maintained. New infection risks emerge and antimicrobial resistant organisms develop on an almost daily basis, therefore it is critical that we maintain our focus on this area for the continued benefit of our patients and communities.”
To read the full copy of the Infection Control and Prevention Team’s Annual Report 2015/16 please visit www.rdehospital.nhs.uk
