Issued: 31 Jul 2024
NHS Highland welcomes the publication of the Hospital Associated
Infections Prevalence Survey. It is the most comprehensive survey ever
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."
Notes to Editors
The NHS Scotland HAI Prevalence Survey is available on the Health
Protection Scotland website alongside Frequently Asked Questions at
www.hps.scot.nhs.uk
The survey provides a snap shot of the proportion of patients with an
HAI on the days the survey took place.
The survey was carried out between October 2024 and October 2024
The results are not intended to provide figures to compare hospitals
The results are not a reflection of cleaning or clinical care in
hospitals