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Top e-government news, updated daily, and regular features from the top people in the public sector.
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| Nurses uniform shortage 'risks spread of infection' |
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Some nurses carry "yesterday's stains" and risk spreading infection due to too few uniforms and poor changing facilities, research out today suggests.
The study, from the Patients Association, found that some staff complained of not enough uniforms to go round, which led to dirty outfits being worn a second day.
The poll of 250 staff, conducted among delegates including infection control nurses at last year's Clean Hospitals Summit, also found a question mark over clothes makers' instructions which advised 40 degree washes.
Some of the respondents told the Patients Association that they ignored this and washed at 60 degrees to kill bacteria.
One nurse she was allocated four uniforms a week which were "suitable if working four 12 and a half hour shifts, but not enough if working several shorter days," the Association said.
When asked what stopped them doing their job, 36% of those questioned said paperwork and red tape, 15% said unrealistic targets, 14% said too great a workload and 12% said bureaucracy.
But almost all those questioned (82%) said they would "confidently" recommend their hospital to a relative needing to be admitted.
And more than half thought the situation on cleanliness in hospitals had improved since last year.
Patients Association president Claire Rayner said: "While the trends are encouraging, many issues still cause great concern, particularly as trusts struggle to balance their budgets, and some are looking for ways of saving costs which might prove risky.
"They must be careful to ensure that by saving money, they are not putting more lives in danger." |
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