13:40 > Tuesday 9th February 2010
Isolation ward to combat infection
20 September 2007
AN ISOLATION ward costing £200,000 officially opened at Lister Hospital today (Thursday) in a bid to combat a healthcare-associated infection.
The ward is aimed at treating people who have tested positive for clostridium difficile - a bacteria that can cause infections in people, with symptoms such as diarrhoea and other more serious conditions affecting the gut.
The ward, which will operate for a six-month trial period, will be run by a senior sister and will have nurses from a variety of disciplines who have undergone detailed infection control training.
Noel Scanlon, the East and North Herts NHS Trust's director of infection prevention and control, said: "Clostridium difficile poses particular problems for us and the patients we care for. It is one of the few infections that requires hand washing with soap and water rather than alcohol gel.
"This is because it produces spores that can persist in the environment for some time and requires very thorough cleaning to get rid of them.
"As a result, clostridium difficile can spread relatively easily, although thankfully it is mostly straightforward to treat.
"By bringing infected patients together, we can help to stop others getting infected and treat those on the isolation ward more intensively."
From April 1 to August 31 this year, the Trust recorded 175 cases of clostridium difficile, compared with 240 cases for the same period last year.
The Trust's chief executive, Nick Carver, said: "Although the number of patients developing clostridium difficile would appear to have begun falling in recent months, we want that rate to fall even faster. Having isolation wards will make a big difference."
The Trust anticipates that a similar isolation unit facility will be opened at the QEII Hospital before the end of the year.
What patients and their visitors can do to help prevent clostridium difficile infections
* Question doctors and nurses before allowing them to examine you.
* Visitors should wash their hands before and after seeing a patient.
* Visitors should avoid sitting on beds or sharing patients' belongings.
* Visitors should not come to hospital if they know they have a cold or infection.
* Where possible, avoid bringing small children into hospital as visitors.
* If you are planning to visit more than one person, and you know that one of them has an infection already, visit that person last before you leave to go home, washing your hands very carefully before and after that part of the visit.
Share or bookmark this with...
All original material on this page, unless specified by another URL, is the property of Archant and may not be reproduced without permission. Click here to find out more...