FEATURE ARTICLES

New proposals have been published by the GMC to help tackle toxic working cultures and to promote safer, more compassionate environments. Doctors will be expected to report bullying and discrimination, as well as working towards making healthcare more supportive, inclusive and fair.

Neill Simmons highlights the key changes being implemented by the new National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021 and shares his views on how microfibre cleaning and advances in automated disinfection technology can play a crucial role in protecting patients, staff and visitors across the NHS Acute Estate and other localised medical environments

Cecile Paya provides an insight into the demands of reprocessing transoesophageal echocardiogram probes. She argues that automated solutions should be adopted to ensure both the safety of the probe and the safety of the patient

The healthcare environment continues to present a risk of infection transmission, so what can we do to protect patients in a post-pandemic era? The Central Sterilising Club’s 60th anniversary annual scientific meeting showcased the latest evidence for best practice, highlighting some of the potential threats that need to be addressed.

The Central Sterilising Club’s 60th anniversary annual scientific meeting finally took place in Stratford Upon Avon, having been delayed by the pandemic. It hosted some lively discussion around the key challenges in decontamination – from difficulties in reprocessing TOE probes and contaminated neonatal incubators, to whether hospitals can function safely without Authorised Engineers (decontamination). Louise Frampton reports.

Kate Woodhead RGN DMS discusses the recently published ‘Delivery Plan’ for tackling the backlog of elective care, in the wake of the pandemic. People who are waiting for care are becoming increasingly desperate to receive their surgery, and many are suffering and in pain. So, how can we tackle the backlog and ‘build back better’, while caring for a workforce that is still suffering the after-effects of COVID-19?

Andreia Messias, product manager, consumables, at STERIS, considers the question: should rising costs drive facilities to re-evaluate their cleaning chemistries?

Point of care ultrasound is bringing ultrasound to increasing numbers of hospital departments, practitioners and patients, with advancing technology making ultrasound more accessible than ever before, and an essential tool throughout the hospital. What is clear, is that ultrasound is changing, but can decontamination processes keep pace with these developments? Richard Fish discusses the challenges and solutions.

Following some recently awarded Care Quality Commission (CQC) ‘Outstanding’ ratings at its locations, HCA UK’s divisional vice president of quality, Judi Ingram, reflects on the approach taken to inspection readiness and how this has been embedded and achieved in HCA UK facilities.

Donna McHenry and David Watson, at NHS Lanarkshire, offer an insight into how digital clinical observations can assist the early recognition of patient deterioration.

Delivering patient-initiated follow-up (PIFU) is a major new change to outpatient services laid out in NHS England’s Operational Planning Guidance and is almost certainly going to be a major component of the Elective Recovery Plan. Tom Whicher provides an insight.

The final Ockenden report on maternity services at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has highlighted problems with staff shortages, a lack of training, failures to investigate and learn from incidents, and a culture of not listening to families. So, what can we learn from these failures in maternity care and how can safety be improved?

David Ezra, managing director at healthcare technology company Vantage Health, sets out his vision for tackling the demand on outpatient services.

The Westminster Health Forum Policy Conference recently debated the ‘Next steps for patient safety in the NHS’. High on the agenda was a focus on whole system learning, opportunities for regulation and the need for patient involvement. Louise Frampton reports

Taking place on the 5 May, World Hand Hygiene Day 2022 recognises that a strong quality and safety culture will encourage people to clean hands at the right times and with the right products. Dawn Stevens discusses the importance of protecting healthcare workers’ hands, and the role this has in promoting hand hygiene compliance.

George Gallagher discusses why Never Events keep happening, why they matter and what we can all do about them to improve outcomes

The Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) has launched a white paper: Robotic Assisted Surgery and New Models of Surgical Care, which sets out the case for a national multi-stakeholder strategy for Robotic Assisted Surgery to support its uptake across the NHS. In this article for CSJ, the chair and vice chair of ABHI’s Robotic Assisted Surgery Group, Nick Margree and Chris Gray, explain the thinking behind the paper.

Kate Woodhead RGN DMS offers an insight into the current staffing crisis and its implications for patient safety. She voices concerns around the challenges for NHS recovery, in the absence of a long-term strategy for workforce development.

Getinge has invested significantly in developing a dedicated team to support decontamination departments with consumables – ensuring uninterrupted uptime of sterile services, optimal efficiency and cost management, patient safety, as well as sustainability.

For the first time, the Infection Prevention and Control Conference will take place over two days, focusing on the latest infection prevention and control best practice – including elements for community and mental health, as well as acute nursing. CSJ provides an insight into the highlights at the event.