Current standards for infection control: audit assures compliance.
Having robust policies and procedures in place for infection control is fundamentally important. However, each organization has to go a step beyond this; evidence has to be provided that these policies and procedures are followed. As of 1 April 2009, with the introduction of the Care Quality Commission and The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice for the NHS on the Prevention and Control of Healthcare-Associated Infections and Related Guidance, the assurance of robust infection control measures within any UK provider of health care became an even higher priority. Also, the commissioning of any service by the NHS must provide evidence that the provider has in place robust procedures for infection control. This article demonstrates how the clinical audit team at the Douglas Macmillan Hospice in North Staffordshire, UK, have used audit to assure high rates of compliance with the current national standards for infection control. Prior to the audit, hospice staff had assumed that the rates of compliance for infection control approached 100%. This article shows that a good quality audit tool can be used to identify areas of shortfall in infection control and the effectiveness of putting in place an action plan followed by re-audit.
Douglas Macmillan Hospice, Stoke-on Trent, UK.
Pauline
P
Flanagan
D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006738:Hospices / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000592:standards*; D008485:Medical Audit; D006113:United Kingdom