@helen-lemass
Active 2 days, 8 hours agoHelen Lemass
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Hi Emer,
The Bio system containers are in use for quite a while in RUH and there hasn’t been any issue (apart from making sure there was someone allocated to clean the holder for it!). It actually saves space as the the 30L biosystem container can take items that go in both the yellow rigid container and sharps bin,
kind regards,
Helen -
HI Noleen,
The HSE HH compliance rate is 90%. National HH audits are done 6 monthly by lead auditors. Re local audits, appendix 6 on the HPSC HH audit tool SOP suggest an action plan is agreed locally re frequency.In Roscommon University Hospital, we audit areas that achieve >/= 90% 3 monthly and <90% monthly.
When I was in Portiuncula, we audited >/= 90% 3 monthly, less than 80% monthly and >/= 80% but < 90% 2 monthly, regards, Helen Lemass -
Dear all,
please see below a comment sent to me by an IPC member in relation to the new draft NCEC National Standards for IPC guidelines 2022.
“Under Resource Allocation on page 225-226:
The number of IPC professionals should be sufficient to ensure that healthcare facilities have their appropriate level of skills and resources and resilience required to develop IPC programmes and the capacity to respond to HCAIs:
-meeting occupational health needs related to IPC (for example healthcare worker immunisation, post exposure evaluation and care for health care workers involved in outbreak management, evaluation and management of healthcare workers with communicable infections).
-Also I note there is no OH person included on the membership of the IPCC-I know this list is probably not complete”
Please post your views on the above,
regards,
Helen Lemass
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<p class=”MsoNormal”>Dear all,</p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”>Please see below a comment sent to me by an IPC member in relation to: <span style=”color: #505050; font-family: ‘Open Sans’, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;”>new draft NCEC National Standards for Infection and Prevention Control (IPC)2022 Guidelines</span></p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”><span style=”font-size: 10.0pt;”>Under “Resource allocation” page 225-226:</span></p>
<p class=”MsoNormal”><span style=”font-size: 10.0pt;”>The number of IPC professionals should be sufficient to ensure that healthcare facilities have the appropriate level of skills and resources and resilience required to develop IPC programmes and the capacity to respond to HCAIs:</span></p>
<p class=”MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst” style=”text-indent: -18.0pt;”><span style=”font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Symbol; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;”>·</span><span style=”font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’,’serif’; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;”> </span><span style=”font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;”>meeting occupational health needs related to IPC (for example healthcare worker immunisation, post exposure evaluation and care for health care workers involved in outbreak management, evaluation and management of healthcare workers with communicable infections).</span></p>
<p class=”MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle” style=”text-indent: -18.0pt;”><span style=”font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;”> </span></p>
<p class=”MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle” style=”text-indent: -18.0pt;”><span style=”font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Symbol;”>·</span><span style=”font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’,’serif’;”> </span><span style=”font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;”>Also I note there is no OH person included on the membership of the IPCC- I know this list is probably not completed.</span></p>
<p class=”MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle” style=”text-indent: -18.0pt;”><span style=”font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;”> </span></p>
<p class=”MsoListParagraphCxSpLast” style=”text-indent: -18.0pt;”><span style=”font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;”>Please post your views on same.</span></p> -
Hi Again,
a new module on management of blood spills has just been launched on HSE land and it follows the same advice as the poster and draft guidelines.
My understanding was that a blood spill should be disinfected before removal, as disinfection aims to reduce the number of microorganisms to a safe level (re BBVs)
regards,
Helen
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Hi Alison,
we got a delivery of hand Hygiene posters from RESIST last week and I hadn’t realised that the “management of blood spill” poster was at the back.
I would agree with you that the poster does not recommend the spillage is first disinfected with a hypochlorite. We teach Hypochlorite granules for small spills. For larger spills we recommend covering the spill with paper towels and then pouring on a Hypochlorite solution (10,000ppm) and leaving for 2 minutes before wiping away (wearing PPE etc). The whole point of using a hypochlorite to kill any BBVs seems to be lost, as the poster only recommends disinfecting the area once the spillage is removed and the area cleaned with water and detergent.
Manufacturers of hypochlorite products recommend disinfecting spills before mopping them up and all the posters from the companies advise this. So if the new Resist spillage poster is followed, it is against manufacturers instructions and may put staff/patients and the environment at risk of contamination of BBVs.
I see the an email today from the HPSC re “<b><span style=”font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: ‘Arial’,’sans-serif’; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; color: #006152; mso-ansi-language: EN-IE; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;”>Consultation on the draft National Standards for Infection and Prevention Control (IPC) 2022 is open today until 5pm, 18th February 2022″</span></b>
This draft guidance seems to give the same advice re managing blood spills (see attached excerpt). This document is in draft and open to consultation but it seems the poster stating the same advice has already been printed and circulated. I am not aware of new guidance re blood spills ?
The option is there to feed back on the new national standards but this is a 360 page document so may take some time to review,
thanks
Helen Lemass
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Hi Lenora,
Some of our wards put wall mounted sharps bins in their isolation rooms but we got most of them removed and are and advising wards against them. The standard Patron sharps bin is not a safety bin and therefore should not be left in a patient area where there is no constant presence of A HCW, as a confused patient or visitor (child etc) may get a NSI. Also sharps bins should be at the point of use so wall mounted means a HCW may have to walk with the sharp to the bin.
regards,
Helen -
Hi Lenora,
Some of our wards put wall mounted sharps bins in their isolation rooms but we got most of them removed and are and advising wards against them. The standard Patron sharps bin is not a safety bin and therefore should not be left in a patient area where there is no constant presence of A HCW, as a confused patient or visitor (child etc) may get a NSI. Also sharps bins should be at the point of use so wall mounted means a HCW may have to walk with the sharp to the bin.
regards,
Helen -
Hi Lenora,
Some of our wards put wall mounted sharps bins in their isolation rooms but we got most of them removed and are and advising wards against them. The standard Patron sharps bin is not a safety bin and therefore should not be left in a patient area where there is no constant presence of A HCW, as a confused patient or visitor (child etc) may get a NSI. Also sharps bins should be at the point of use so wall mounted means a HCW may have to walk with the sharp to the bin.
regards,
Helen -
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