Staff survey slams hospital hygiene

Link: The Comet - Staff survey slams hospital hygiene.

THE availability of hand washing materials in hospitals and health centres across Comet country are lacking, according to healthcare workers. Yesterday (Wednesday) independent watchdog the Healthcare Commission published the results of an annual staff survey. The East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, which runs Lister Hospital, came in the bottom 20 per cent of acute Trusts in England for the availability of hand washing materials for staff, patients and visitors. The report said its score of 4.32 out of five, with five representing full availability, showed a "significant decrease" since the 2006 survey, when the Trust's score was 4.47. Chief executive of the Trust, Nick Carver, said: "We were disappointed about how our staff felt." He said major investment in new hand washing facilities in wards were made last year and infection rates from bacteria like MRSA and clostridium difficile were rapidly declining. A spokesman for the East and North Hertfordshire PCT said: "Whilst we achieved good scores in a number of categories, our results show we have areas in need of improvement.