Scotland has become the first nation in the UK to
publish an integrated infection prevention and control strategy
covering both health and social care settings, as part
of efforts to protect patients, residents and
staff from preventable infection.
The publication of An Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)
Strategy for Scotland: Vision and Priority Statements' aims
to, over the next ten years, minimise preventable
infection for everyone who accesses, uses or
provides health and social care.
It is also the first time the Scottish Government has published a
dedicated strategy for infection prevention and control in care
homes and social care following the lessons learned
from the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the
significant burden of infection in long-term care settings.
The strategy sets out eight priority areas, including
strengthened governance and leadership, proactive national and
local IPC programmes, improved data and surveillance,
and expanded education, training and career development for the
health and social care workforce. It will be followed by a series
of multi-year action plans to deliver the vision in
practice.
For care home residents, this means better training for care home
staff on infection control practices previously focused mainly on
hospitals; improved data and surveillance to catch and stop the
spread of infection earlier in hospitals, helping to free up
beds. And for staff, working in hospitals, care-homes or the
community, it means clearer leadership on infection prevention in
their workplace.
Chief Nursing Officer for Scotland, Professor Aisha
Holloway said:
"Infection prevention and control is fundamental to safe,
high-quality care. Every day across Scotland we see how effective
IPC processes and practice reduces avoidable
harm, protects patients, service users and staff, and
builds trust in the health and social care services that we all
rely on.
We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge health and
social care-associated infections continue to cause significant
harm, in both hospital and community settings.
This strategy responds to that reality with a system-wide
approach. The experience and insight of the health and social
care workforce across Scotland will be central to shaping the
action plans that bring this strategy to life."
Healthcare-associated infections currently account for an
estimated 7,500 incidents across NHS Scotland each year, at an
estimated annual cost of £46.4 million. Reducing
healthcare-associated infection incidence by just 10% could free
up an estimated 5,800 bed-days annually and create capacity to
treat around 1,700 additional elective patients.
