The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust takes infection
prevention and control very seriously.
A dedicated infection prevention and
control team provides expert advice to the Trust on the daily
management of infection and informs patients, visitors and staff on
strategies to minimise the risk of healthcare associated
infection.
The Trust has adopted a range of measures to challenge
healthcare associated infection. These include:
Education
All new Trust staff receive infection control training during
their induction program. Mandatory training occurs throughout the
year to keep all staff updated and focused upon infection control
principles. Each member of staff is responsible for ensuring they
attend yearly mandatory infection control updates. Each ward /
department has an infection control champion who works closely with
the infection control team to promote infection control initiatives
within their area.
Promoting high standards of hand hygiene
Simple, basic personal hand hygiene helps to prevent
infection. Whether you are a patient, relative or member of
staff hand hygiene is a proven method for preventing bacteria
(germs) spreading from one patient to another. The Trust is
committed to promoting excellent hand hygiene standards and
participates in the 'clean your hands
campaign'. We also audit hand hygiene standards in all clinical
areas on a regular basis.
Care of intravenous devices also known as 'drips' or 'IVI' or
'IVs' (intravenous infusions)
These devices are regularly inserted into
patients’ hands and arms so that they can receive intravenous
medication. Occasionally, these devices can cause infection at the
point they enter the body. All relevant staff are trained and
assessed to ensure that they are competent to insert intravenous
cannulae correctly, and the Trust is participating in a regional
cannulation training project to ensure that standards of practice
are consistently high.
Strict antibiotic prescribing
Some groups of antibiotics increase the risk of
acquiring an infection, this is
why the Trust has a policy of strict controls in relation to
antibiotic prescribing. The Trust also works collaboratively with
the local Primary Care Trust to promote standardised prescribing
practices both in the hospital and in GP practices. There
are some occasions when it will not be appropriate
for patients to take antibiotics i.e. for colds and sore
throats. If you have been taking antibiotics prior to your
admission please inform the staff caring for you.
Screening for MRSA (meticillin resistant staphylococcus
aureus)
The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is committed to a zero
tolerance approach to infection control and is therefore
extremely pleased to introduce MRSA screening for
all admissions. This applies to patients for both emergency
and elective (pre-booked) admission. The Trust is compliant
with its MRSA screening policy which can be downloaded
from the downloads section on the right hand side of this
page. The Trust monitors compliance with the policy through
the Infection Prevention and Control committee and this information
is reported to the Board of Directors.
What is MRSA?
Meticillin-resistant (MRSA) is a clinically significant pathogen
and a major cause of Healthcare-associated infection (HCAI)
What is Clostridium difficile?
Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a bacterium (germ) that lives
naturally in the gut of up to 3 per cent of healthy adults, where
it rarely causes problems.
What is Norovirus?
Norovirus is the most common cause of infectious gastroenteritis
in England and Wales and can affect people of any age.
Infection control patient information leaflets
The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust participates in the
Department of Health’s mandatory surveillance scheme. This means
that the number of patients developing infection due to MRSA in the
blood (bacteraemia) and the number of patients acquiring
Clostridium
difficile associated
diarrhoea, are reported to the Department of Health
which publishes these figures.
The latest figures are available on the DOH website.
If you have questions about your risk of
developing an infection then please ask the health care staff
looking after you or read the section ‘How
can patients and visitors help?’
Useful Contacts
Patient Advice and Liaison Service
(PALS)
Royal Berkshire
NHS Foundation Trust
London Road
Reading RG1 5AN
0118 322 8338