§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 2 October 2003, reference 130874, on training of nurses, what monitoring arrangements his Department has in place to ensure that NHS trusts follow the guidelines in "Working Together—Learning Together", on training for using existing and new medical equipment; and if he will make a statement. [132509]
§ Mr. HuttonStrategic health authorities are responsible for performance managing national health service trusts on the basis of local accountability agreements. They will ensure that NHS Trusts implement the lifelong learning framework targets, as set out in "Working Together—Learning Together", by monitoring progress through their mainstream performance management processes.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 2 October 2003, ref 130877, regarding re-use of single use medical equipment, if he will set out the results of the previous research; and what action was taken in response to its findings. [132217]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Patients Association, in collaboration with the Infection Control Nurses Association, the Institute of Sterile Services Management and the National Association of Theatre Nurses, reported from a survey in 2000 ("Hospital Acquired Infection and the Reuse of Medical Devices: The Patient's Association") that ten per cent. of responding hospitals were re-using single use devices. The Medical Devices Agency issued a revised Bulletin in August 2000 ("Single-use Medical Devices: Implications and Consequences of Reuse") and further guidance was issued by the Department in circular HSC 2000/32 "The Decontamination of Medical Devices".