Issued: 11 Jul 2024
NHS Highland welcomes the publication of the Hospital Associated Infections Prevalence Survey. It is the most comprehensive survey ever produced on the extent of HAI among patients. NHS highland will put this information to good use to help it target our efforts to control infections.
Director of Nursing Heidi May said: "I am pleased to see all the NHS Highland hospitals surveyed had results within the expected ranges. However there is no room for complacency. We have an action plan to tackle HAIs and we will be studying the results of the survey in detail to see if there are any changes we can take to be even more effective."
All of the NHS Highland hospitals in the survey have HAI rates within the range we would expect for their size and the sort of illness or injury the patients have. In some of our smaller hospitals the number of patients surveyed is very small so it can be difficult to draw conclusions from the figures for them.
NHS Highland has a good track record for the control of infection and Ms May stressed it would continue to be a priority for the organisation. She said: "The management of HAIs is an ongoing challenge for NHS Highland. Reducing infection is everybody's business. Staff, managers, patients and visitors are all advised to follow the guidance on hand-hygiene, to be vigilant and report concerns."
The 240 page report provides detailed information which has not been available before now in a comprehensive survey. Consultant in Public Health Medicine Dr. Ken Oates said: "This survey shows us breakdowns of the extent of HAI among specialities and also the parts of the body where patients are getting infections. This level of detail will help us refine our strategy for tackling this problem."