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Using indicator development to revise infection control activities in an acute NHS trust
1Quality Improvement Programme, RCN Institute, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, UK. linda.watterson@rcn.org.uk
Aim:
This paper describes a 2-year project to facilitate improved infection control within an acute National Health Service trust.
Background:
Organizational support, broad ownership of issues and adequate resources are needed to enable good infection control to underpin improvements in care.
Method:
Development of indicators, agreed at a stakeholder workshop, was used as a focus. The Infection Control Team was expanded.
Results:
The team has a wider skills base and can deliver proactive and reactive services in closer collaboration with clinicians, especially modern matrons. The infection control committee has been reconstituted and become more effective. There have been demonstrable health and financial gains over 2 years, and improved performance against national standards.
Conclusion:
Focusing on indicator development enabled key stakeholders to gain a collective appreciation of the issues that the trust faced, increased ownership of agreed actions and rooted infection control activity in trust mechanisms for monitoring and business planning.