Everyone needs to improve their hygiene when at hospitals

James Reason, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Manchester speaks out on hospitals and the safety of patients within the National Health Service (NHS).

He says that those hospitals with patient safety at the forefront of their minds are those that are high reliability organisations.

He suggests that patient safety should be raised often and says that clinical outcomes and patient safety should be discussed at least once a month at board level.

He further suggests that hospitals should have a strong culture of reporting patient safety incidents and be ready to act promptly to make the changes necessary to improve patient safety.

Dr Stuttaford, writing in the Times, praised the work done by Professor John Oxford in highlighting the issue of hygiene within hospitals and he outlines the action that could be taken by staff, patients and members of the public to minimise the risks of infections resulting from poor hygiene.

He quotes Professor Oxford: "We come from a world of infection. We live in a world of infection and, in the future, unless we take control now we will continue to live in a world of infection. People should understand and meet the challenges that the transmission of infection presents, and the preventive measures that can be taken against this."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article1520831.ece

Dr Stuttaford stresses the need for everyone from doctors and nurses to the public to wash their hands thoroughly to keep inanimate surfaces clean.

He also calls on the NHS to go further and be prepared to be radical in its methods to tackle infections and the causes of them.

He suggests that patients should have less visitors into hospitals as they are more likely to bring infections in with them and that patients should be tested for MRSA as soon as they are admitted to a hospital.

He adds that as a general rule the health service has to become used to a level of cleanliness across the whole hospital not just the operating theatres.