Rochdale Infirmary fails hygiene inspection

Rochdale Infirmary

The Trust that runs Rochdale Infirmary has been slammed by the Healthcare Commission for failed hygiene standards.

Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust was criticised by the Health watchdog for its lacking standards on reducing hospital-acquired infections, after they carried out one of the biggest cleanliness inspections in the country.

The trust also breached guidelines requiring all premises to be clean and fit for purpose.

Nationally, only five out of 51 Trusts which were inspected met the required standards.

Anna Walker, the Commission’s Chief Executive, said: “It is clear that the NHS is paying close attention to infection prevention and control. Trusts have made real progress with many getting good systems in place and demonstrating clear board leadership on this important issue.

“Where we have raised concerns, we have generally been encouraged by the positive and prompt response at those trusts. Importantly, we have found few breaches requiring immediate action to protect the safety of patients – and where we have we have taken swift action. There are signs that all this is paying real dividends in terms of the impact on infection.

“Now the challenge for trusts is to ensure they drive further sustained improvements by getting the right systems in place all of the time. At nearly all trusts we have found gaps that need closing. It is important to be clear that at these trusts we are not talking about the most serious kind of breaches. But these are important warning signs to trust boards that there may be a weakness in their systems.

“In particular, trusts need to ensure that their wards are consistently clean and well maintained, and that they have good decontamination and isolation arrangements.

“We want trusts to ensure they are compliant with the government’s hygiene code all of the time, in all parts of the organisation and for every patient.

“It is the consistent application of these systems that will ensure infection rates continue to drop. These issues are a top priority for the public. We make no apologies for demanding high standards. We have been asked by the government to help maintain the concentration on these issues and we intend to do just that.”