Dept, HSE slammed by Irish Commitee on hospital hygiene

Link: Dept, HSE slammed on hospital hygiene.

      The Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children has expressed concern that not enough is being done on hospital hygiene and the control of hospital acquired infection in Ireland. The Committee was told today that the Department of Health gave no specific funding to the HSE this year for improving hospital hygiene and controlling infection. Members of the Committee demanded that key staff in hospitals be made responsible and properly accountable for hygiene control, and if not, said they should be dismissed. Key experts in the HSE and the Department of Health appeared before the Committee to update members on what is being done to improve hygiene and control infection. However, after hearing updates from the experts, Committee Chairman Deputy John Moloney said until the public can be assured that people are in charge of and responsible for maintaining hygiene standards in each unit, experts coming before the Committee will not give the public confidence that hygiene standards are improving.

Comments

[Don Briggs]

The statutory instrument 146 (1994) regarding water hygiene states that it is the service provider's duty to regularly assess risk and formally log results from risk assessments.

The U.K. HSC document L8 relates to Legionella Control and adequate water hygiene programmes.

Irish legislation is expected to follow the U.K. lead which could mean criminal proceedings against hospital managers, TSMs or ICOs in the future should life threatening pathogenic infection from water systems occur in their sites.

Thus, yes, funding must be made available for water and other hygiene risk assessments to be undertaken and treatment as required be applied.

LMEntech provides a full range of inspection, risk assessment and treatment services from offices in Bray, Co. Wicklow - phone 202 1434

[Will Mitchell]

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