Infection prevention is everybody’s business. Here we describe the role we play infection prevention and share some useful resources.
NHS West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) employs a Specialist Nurse in Infection Prevention. The core responsibility of the Specialist Nurse is to work with providers across the whole health economy to prevent, reduce or control infection and to provide assurance to the CCG that registered providers are compliant with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and Code of practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance (2010).
Under the Health and Social Care Act, registered providers of healthcare must, so far as reasonably practicable, ensure that
- service users
- persons employed for the purpose of the carrying on of the regulated activity and
- others who may be at risk of exposure to health associated infection arising from the carrying on of the regulated activity
are protected against identifiable risks of acquiring such an infection.
Infection Prevention and Control Annual Report 2017-18
Good infection prevention and control is essential to ensuring that the population of west Hampshire receives safe and effective care, wherever the CCG commissions. This report clearly articulates the work of the CCG and more fundamentally the Infection Prevention Specialist Nurse in reducing, controlling and preventing infections. It provides details of the CCG’s work over the last year and how our specialist nurse has influenced local, regional and national practice.
Reducing and preventing infections remains a high priority for the CCG and the report identifies those workstreams will continue into 2019/20 to further support safe and effective care for our local population.
Read what the CCG has been doing in 2017-18 to help reduce and control infection: Annual Report 2017-18.
Become an antibiotic guardian
Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats facing us today.
Why it is relevant to you: Without effective antibiotics, many routine treatments will become increasingly dangerous. Setting broken bones, basic operations, even chemotherapy all rely on access to antibiotics that work.
What we want you to do: To slow resistance we need to cut the use of unnecessary antibiotics. We’re asking everyone in the UK, the public and the medical community to become Antibiotic Guardians.
Call to action: Choose one simple pledge about how you’ll make better use of antibiotics and help save this vital medicine from becoming obsolete.
For more information visit www.antibioticguardian.com