Scotland to put HAI spotlight on equipment maintenance
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Scotland is planning to inspect "essential medical equipment" during random visits to hospitals, as part of a programme to monitor hospital-acquired infection (HAI) control standards. The initiative, which involves the creation of an independent inspectorate and additional reporting responsibilities, was put out for consultation today for four weeks. Scotland's HAI programme, with a £54m ($84m) three-year budget, features pre-admission MRSA screening and the creation of a Clostridium difficile reference laboratory, with the aim of providing faster diagnoses. Scottish hospitals are reporting steady falls in new cases of these HAIs, currently around 1,700 and 185 per quarter (June 2008), respectively.