Preventing Healthcare and Hospital Associated Infections (including MRSA and C.diff) in Scotland

Germs - Wash Your Hands Of Them

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Nicola Sturgeon

_{^{The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Stugeon, considers preventing and controlling healthcare associated infections a top priority.}}

Useful Resources

^{Top tips to prevent infection}

^{Infection Monitoring}

Useful Links

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^{Health Protection Scotland}

^{NHS Quality Improvement Scotland}

^{Health Facilities Scotland}

^{NHS Education for Scotland}

^{Scottish Patient Safety Alliance}

^{Scottish Hand Hygiene Campaign}

^UK^Links

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Preventing Healthcare Associated Infections (including MRSA and C.diff) in Scotland

Reducing healthcare associated infections in Scotland is a key priority for the Scottish Government.

Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) are those which patients acquire during the course of receiving treatment within a healthcare setting. This may be an acute hospital, but could also be community hospitals, GP surgeries or care homes.

The most well known of these are MRSA and Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), although the term HAI covers a much wider range of infections.

In This Section

Infection Monitoring

Healthcare associated infections are routinely monitored at both national and local level. This includes the number of cases of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) and Staph aureus bacteraemias (MRSA and MSSA) blood stream infections. Key activities which help prevent HAIs are hospital cleanliness and compliance by staff with hand hygiene practices.

The Scottish Government and Healthcare Associated Infections

Scottish Government chairs the national Healthcare Associated Infection Task Force, which is responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of a national HAI Delivery Plan, as well as providing support and funding to the NHS to prevent and control healthcare associated infections.

The NHS and Healthcare Associated Infections

NHS

The NHS is at the front line of infection control. NHS Boards across Scotland co-ordinate activity in hospitals and the community and national organisations such as Health Protection Scotland, Health Facilities Scotland, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland and NHS Education for Scotland provide them with specialist support.

Healthcare Associated Infections and You

Patient When you go into hospital either as a patient or visitor, there are some simple things you can do to help prevent healthcare associated infections. This link tells you what these are and how you can find out more about making suggestions and raising concerns to help fight healthcare infections. After all, infection control is everyone's business.

Page updated: Monday, December 20, 2010

Scottish Government