NHS equipment 'kept in bathrooms'

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A third of nurses in Wales with duties to decontaminate hospital equipment have had no formal training, according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

A poll found a quarter of nurses said they had to store equipment in hospital bathrooms due to limited space.

The RCN said having the time and space to clean everyday equipment was crucial in fighting hospital infections.

An assembly government spokesperson said: "The issues of tidiness and storage are well recognised."

In February this year, the RCN launched a 10-point standard for preventing infection on wards and called for dedicated decontamination areas, as well as access to 24-hour cleaning teams and minimum standards of training for all health and social care staff.

Its poll of 300 nurses in Wales found two-fifths (42%) said that cleaning services were not available 24 hours a day in their organisation.

People need to recognise that fighting infection is about much more than hand washing - it's about keeping every part of the patient environment clean all of the time Dr Peter Carter, RCN

The survey found more than a third (34%) of nurses said they had not had mandatory infection control training in the previous year.

One in four said that they had to resort to undertaking infection control training in their own time.

RCN chief executive and general secretary, Dr Peter Carter, said: "Having the time and space to clean and then store essential everyday hospital equipment such as commodes and patient cushions is crucial in keeping patients safe from dangerous infections.

"It's shocking that some nurses have no choice but to store equipment in hospital bathrooms and in sluices.

'De-cluttering'

"People need to recognise that fighting infection is about much more than hand washing. It's about keeping every part of the patient environment clean all of the time because infections like MRSA and C.diff are still very much a threat."

Welsh Assembly Government Nursing Officer for Health Protection Tracey Gauci said reducing healthcare associated infections in all healthcare settings was a high priority for the assembly government.

She said NHS hospital trusts were engaged in "de-cluttering" initiates and establishing equipment stores to boost storage on wards

She said: "In addition, patients and visitors are being asked to keep to a minimum personal items brought into the hospital to help keep the environment as clutter free and tidy as possible to facilitate cleaning.

"Reducing infections is also a key theme in the 1,000 Lives Campaign, which was launched last April.

Uniforms

"This aims to reduce avoidable risk to patient safety by implementing new ways of working and techniques developed by clinicians in Wales.

"Last month, a year on from the launch, new figures show that there is a greater awareness and compliance with staff hand washing between patients."

Earlier this week, colour-coded uniforms for nurses to help patients in Wales recognise who is in charge on hospital wards were unveiled.

The move follows hygiene concerns over uniforms being worn outside work.