CQC publishes a report on infection prevention and control at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The inspection took place in May to look at infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in place, as data showed the trust had experienced an increase in hospital acquired healthcare infections such as Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Meticillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and Clostridioides difficile (C.difficile).
As the service was not rated during the inspection, the previous ratings remain. The overall rating for both the trust and the hospital is requires improvement.

Inspectors found that the trust’s IPC teams had the skills and abilities to run the service and manage infection prevention and control. Leaders operated effective IPC governance processes and learning across the trust was focused on supporting patient safety. The trust also had an open culture which meant that patients and staff could raise concerns about infection prevention and control without fear.

Staff said they felt respected, supported and valued. The trust actively engaged with them to understand their thoughts and feelings during the pandemic and had developed an e-book ‘Stories from the COVID-19 Pandemic: #OneTeamOneOUH’ which celebrated staff who had made a considerable impact. Staff were also encouraged to recognise colleagues who had achieved excellence in their area of work. Trust leaders cared about the safety and wellbeing of staff and had developed a wellbeing plan during the pandemic called ‘Growing Stronger Together – Rest, Reflect, Recover’, focused on taking time out to recuperate after particularly busy periods. They had also put ‘nap pods’ in place to enable staff to take a break and get adequate rest when needed.

Inspectors did have some concerns, however. Not all signs and floor markings were clear, leading to confusion amongst staff, patients and visitors. In some areas, changes had not been made to the communal seating, which resulted in visitors sitting close together. There were no effective processes in place for monitoring cleaning schedules of clinical and public areas. In the emergency department there were sharps bins in non-clinical areas, and some in clinical areas that were not in stands. More storage was needed to allow effective cleaning and reduce the risk of cross contamination, as boxes and some other items were stored on the floor.

The report will be published on the website today (Friday 9 July).