13 January 2009
Marlyn Glen is urging NHS Tayside to consider making reports available online on how effectively individual hospitals are performing against hospital acquired infection(HAI) on a monthly basis rather than through Health Board reports every two months.
New national guidelines just introduced mean that reporting on the rates of C difficile, MRSA, hand hygiene and cleaning will now be formally reported to the Health Board on a hospital-by-hospital basis every two months.
Ms. Glen said,
" I welcome the move that will allow patients and the public to see how successful individual hospitals such as Ninewells are in controlling HAI.
" The Health Board can now make these figures publicly available every two months.
" Reporting on a monthly basis online rather than through two-monthly health board reports will raise public awareness and help strengthen public confidence in the infection control regime"
Ms Glen said that NHS Tayside had provided her with information last August giving a breakdown of the number of instances that C difficile had been recorded in Ninewells and every other NHS Tayside hospital individually in the then seven month period since the start of the year.
198 instances of C difficile were reported at Ninewells.
A further 23 were recorded at the Royal Victoria Hospital, 41 at Perth Royal Infirmary and 23 in total at Arbroath, Stracathro , Liff and Whitehills.