Reducing HCAIs 2013: Addressing the challenges

Govtoday is delighted to announce Addressing the challenges, 2013’s second national conference and exhibition hosted under Govtoday’s renowned Health and Social Care Reform event series.

Addressing the challenges will be held at the prestigious Brewery Conference Centre, London, on Tuesday 4th June 2013.

In 2009, two independent reports revealed widespread inconsistencies in effective approaches to reducing HCAIs, and more importantly, in both the responsibility for and provision of clean, safe care within our health and social care system.

The Public Accounts Committee report ‘Reducing Healthcare Associated Infection in Hospitals in England, Fifty–second Report of Session 2008–09’ and ‘Dr. Fosters Hospital Guide – Focus on Patient Safety’ outlined concerns about the quality of patient care and the hospital inspection and ranking processes, particularly with regards to infection control and associated mortality rates.

Forward to 2013, and massive strides have been taken to eradicate these inconsistencies and improve patient care as highlighted in May 2012 with the release of the Health Protection Agency’s results of the fourth HCAI Point Prevalence Survey (PPS). For the first time, this included the National Survey on Antibiotic use in England. The report provided a snapshot of the levels of HCAI and antibiotic use in hospital Trusts in England in Autumn 2011, and was the first survey to include hospitals from the independent sector. This snapshot revealed that the overall rate of infections was down to 6.4 per cent.

Addressing the challenges will examine the data from the Point Prevalence Survey and question the steps required to overcome the barriers in place whilst highlighting the global threat to healthcare – Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and how the only option to combating this threat is the tightening of infection control practices, the development of new technology and embedding infection control right to the heart of all organisations.

This event will bring the whole healthcare sector together, from Senior Management to Infection Control Nurses, Clinicians to Commissioners, Pharmacists to Facilities facilitating an open forum to encourage and continue the dialogue between trusts and departments and engage with peers and superiors alike, therefore ensuring the Whole Health Economy is achieved, as this is the only option available in this fight against infection.