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Delivering Clean and Safe Care

The Department of Health-MRSA/Cleaner Hospitals programme is designed to support organisations and individuals in reducing healthcare associated infections like MRSA.

Clean, Safe Care website

The Clean Safe Care web site is a resource for all healthcare staff, the purpose of which is to provide a hub for information, tools and news about reducing healthcare associated infections (HCAI) and providing safe, clean, reliable healthcare. Information on upcoming industry events, new guidance and advice on clinical procedures, as well as case studies from trusts and from other healthcare settings can be found at:

A: Introduction and instructions for implementing Saving Lives

The instructions attached have been revised as of June 2007 and provide a full introduction to the updated tools, explanations of each of them and instructions on how to use them. It is advisable that you read this document first before starting your action planning.

B: Self-assessment tools

Reducing the number of infections in a sustainable manner requires all parts of the organisations and all units, teams and wards to work together and focus on priority areas. The self-assessment tools allow whole teams, or units or entire organisations to consider key challenges that will support future actions towards improvement. This self-assessment tool provides a framework to assist organisation in embedding good infection prevention and control throughout the health and social care setting.

C: Learning resources and supporting documents

Reducing HCAI is a complex area requiring trusts to look at issues from many angles. These learning resources (updated 9 July 2007) will support trusts on their action planning.

The learning resources can be downloaded all in one ZIP folder, or downloaded in separate Portable Document Format files:

D: High impact interventions

The High Impact Interventions (HII) are simple evidence based tools which are at the heart of this programme. They reinforce the practical actions that clinical staff need to undertake every time to significantly reduce HCAI. The introduction document below explains the purpose, method and approach trusts can use with these in order to improve the reliability of the clinical process.

Revised Essential Steps to safe, clean care: introduction and guidance

The updated delivery programme to reduce healthcare associated infections (HCAI) in primary care trusts, mental health, ambulance trusts, care homes, residential homes, GP surgeries and for use by independent care providers.

This delivery programme sets the framework to significantly reduce infections across wards, units departments and entire organisations. The tools and guidance below (updated 9 July 2007) will support these settings in their organisational wide plan to work towards a culture of no avoidable HCAI. They also provide tools for individuals to use to increase safety, reduce risk and increase reliability of key clinical procedures. We encourage organisations to use these tools and resources and to sign up to this programme by using the sign up form below.

Essential Steps - key clinical procedures

Ensuring we do the right thing to patients every time is fundamental to reducing infection. The Essential Steps are straightforward tools which support staff in doing the right things every time. Used correctly these tools bring high reliability to key clinical procedures.

Self-assessment tools

Reducing the number of infections in a sustainable manner requires all parts of the organisations and all units, teams and wards to work together and focus on priority areas. The self assessment tools allow whole teams, or units or entire organisations to consider key challenges that will support future actions towards improvement. There are self assessment tool documents for the ambulance service; care homes; primary care trusts, GPs and hospices.

Planning future actions

The Useful Resources listed within each of the key challenges of the self-assessment tools above allow users to plan their future actions and align these with existing good practice, national guidance and make reducing HCAI everyone's business. They signpost the most significant polices and documents to support local planning.

Clean, safe care: programme update

Published: 12/06/2007

An update on progress of the MRSA/Cleaner Hospitals programme

Safer practice in renal medicine: reducing healthcare associated infections

Published: 21/11/2006

The Saving Lives delivery programme tools have been specifically adapted to support improvement in HCAI in renal medicine. The new tools include a self assessment and future action tool, high impact intervention for renal dialysis care and learning resources and examples relevant for reducing infections like MRSA in renal medicine.

Screening for MRSA colonisation - a summary of best practice for NHS Trusts

Published: 15/11/2006

Reducing the risk of MRSA infection requires a strategy to implement targetted screening of high risk patient groups.

Going Further Faster II

Published: 29 August 2008

This guide is a summary of the key interventions that will enable organisations to prioritise efforts and maximise impact. It reflects the accumulated learning, evidence and good practice on the critical actions that NHS trusts can take. The guide aims to help everyone move faster and in a sustainable way towards the goal of zero tolerance toward infection and delivering a clean NHS.

Going Further Faster

To support NHS Trusts in the delivery of clean, safe and reliable care these documents and tools have been published for senior decision makers across the NHS. These items set out clearly why reducing HCAI is important and showing how infections like MRSA impact across the NHS.

Ambulance guidelines: reducing infection through effective practice in the pre-hospital environment

Published: 29 August 2008

In the pre-hospital environment, there are three key high-risk areas for the transfer of infection: direct transfer through the hands of clinical practitioners; invasive devices; the emergency environment.

This document explains how the risk of infection can be reduced by adhering to best practice in: hand hygiene; the use of personal protective equipment; aseptic technique; working in the pre-hospital environment.

E: Communications and Information on HCAIs for staff and patients

The simple guides to MRSA and Clostridium difficile provide clear and easy explanations on these infections. These can be used by communications staff, ward managers and others to help raise awareness about HCAIs with staff and with patients. The infection leaflet template provides trusts with an easy to read summary on infections like MRSA and includes space and options for organisations to tailor their information according to local contact numbers and infection rates.

View these files here:

Ordering additional DH publications

F: Further information and developments

Feedback

This work is ongoing and we look forward to receiving your feedback on the programme by email. If you provide us with your details, we will also be able to keep you up to date with programme developments, news and events.

Impact assessment

Published: 27/09/2007 11:34

Additional links

Clean, Safe Care

Register now to receive regular updates and news bulletins, and to share practice and join the reducing HCAI community forum. This is a site dedicated purely to NHS staff who are working to reduce healthcare associated infections like MRSA and improve cleanliness across the NHS.

NHS Infection Control Programme

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