Agenda item

Daryl Robertson, Interim Deputy Chief Executive/Director of Planning and Performance, Barrie Collins, Director of Nursing/Director of Infection, Prevention and Control and Anne Carroll, Assistant Director of Clinical Quality will be in attendance for this item.

(Darryl Robertson, Interim Chief Executive/Director of Planning and Performance, Barrie Collins, Director of Nursing/Director of Infection Prevention and Control and Anne Carroll, Assistant Director of Clinical Quality, West Kent Primary Care Trust were in attendance for this item.)

(1)       Mr Fittock raised the question of the trajectory for infections where Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust were going to be over their trajectory.  With respect to MRSA he noted that Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust were just under their trajectory and 40% of incidences of infection were due to community acquired infections. 

(2)               In response the Primary Care Trust indicated that they had made healthcare associated infections training mandatory for all staff and programmes tailored to the needs of different staff groups and provided in a variety of ways were being prepared.  It was planned that 95% of staff would have completed the training by 31 March 2009.  The Committee were informed that the Infection Prevention and Control Team were developing further strategies (such as e-learning opportunities) to work towards the 95%. 

(3)               Mrs Angell, the local Member for the area in which the Livingstone Hospital, Dartford was sited, said the report indicated that in December 2008 a small number of patients and staff were affected by diarrhoea and/or vomiting.  The Committee was informed that although no specific virus was identified from specimens it was likely that the symptoms were caused by the Norovirus winter vomiting virus.  Mrs Angell asked whether the patients and staff had been wrongly diagnosed.  Representatives from the Trust explained that C Difficile and Norovirus were different clinically and that the testing for Norovirus was not highly accurate. 

(4)               Asked about public campaigns the response was that public relations on hand washing was continuing.  This was similar to what the Committee had heard from Eastern & Coastal Kent PCT.  One Member referred to a visit to Kent & Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells and asked whether the hospital still presented a challenge.  He also referred to the standard of decontamination which had not been met in the last two years and he asked whether this was due to the attitude of staff.

(5)               The response was that in terms of the decontamination Core Standard the Primary Care Trust could not provide sufficient evidence that the standard had been met rather than having specific issues with decontamination.

(6)               The Kent & Sussex Hospital as a site continued to present a significant challenge and would do until services were provided in the new Pembury Hospital in eighteen months time.  The Primary Care Trust also had six community hospitals ranging from those built in the 1820s to Gravesend Community Hospital which was opened much more recently. 

(7)               Regarding the question relating to the attitude of staff PCT colleagues said that they spend a lot of time with staff and they were not sympathetic to any staff who did not adhere to the rules.  This could result in disciplinary action being taken.

(8)               In response to a question about the deep cleaning programme PCT colleagues stated that this was undertaken on an annual basis but areas could be prioritised where infection occurs.  The Committee noted that the PCT had purchased their own steam cleaning equipment. 

(9)               In answer to a question of training and the roadshows that were referred to in the documentation from the PCT the Committee was informed that five or six roadshows were being planned for the year.  The Committee discussed the relationship of the roadshows in terms of who the audience/public were concerning infection prevention and control and questioned the role of the public health programme and how success was measured.  Reference was also made to individual behaviours and the role of education.