§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government are taking to(a) improve hospital hygiene and (b) reduce hospital-acquired infection. [1788]
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in improving hygiene in hospitals; and how many hospitals have been visited by the Commission for Health Improvement in 2001. [2018]
§ Ms BlearsThe NHS Plan set out how we intended to improve standards of cleanliness and hygiene in National Health Service hospitals. A clean hospitals programme was launched in 2000, when £31.9 million was allocated directly to NHS trusts to begin a series of sustainable improvements to hospital cleanliness and the broader patient environment. Patient environment action teams (PEAT) were established to assess NHS trusts against 19 elements which define the patient environment. These elements include entrances and reception areas, visitors' and ward toilets, and cleanliness and decoration throughout the hospital. PEAT teams made two assessment visits. The first was to "spot check" the quality of the patient environment and to assess what needed to be done to raise standards; the second was to evaluate the improvements made and to determine whether the hospital had been successful in bringing standards to a higher level.
The NHS has made substantial progress since the assessments were completed, and major improvements in levels of cleanliness have been made in a relatively short space of time. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced the results of the clean hospitals programme in a press release on 10 April 2001. The official report has now been published, showing that the percentage of hospitals now showing a good or acceptable standard of cleanliness is over 93 per cent. The tangible improvements that the NHS has achieved in the short-term are the basis for sustainable year-on-year improvements in the future. We will continue to support NHS trusts in raising standards further. A further allocation of £30 million has been provided to allow NHS trusts to build upon the positive outcomes achieved to date, and ensure a clean hospital environment in the future.
The NHS Plan states that the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) will monitor and report on standards of cleanliness in hospitals. CHI and NHS Estates are currently discussing how best to monitor progress and ensure that hospitals continue to maintain acceptable standards of cleanliness.
Trust chief executives are responsible for ensuring that there are high standards of cleanliness and hygiene in hospitals. From April 2001, all NHS trusts are required to comply with the new National Standards of Cleanliness for the NHS. These new standards form part of the Performance Assessment Framework and will ensure that higher standards are achieved and maintained in the future.
153WIt is a core requirement for NHS organisations to have effective systems in place to prevent and control hospital acquired infection (HAI). Evidence-based multi-professional guidelines for the prevention of HAI, commissioned by the Department, were published in January 2001. Additionally, all hospitals have been required to take part in national surveillance of HAI from April 2001 and data will be published from April 2002.
The Commission for Health Improvement has visited 34 hospitals between 1 January and 29 June 2001.