Target and tickbox culture fuels rise in NHS hospital infection rates

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 14th Jul 2004

Commenting on the National Audit Office report Improving patient care by reducing the risk of hospital acquired infection: A progress report Paul Burstow MP, Shadow Health Secretary said:

"The report is a damning indictment of the abject failure of the Government to stem the rising tide of infection in the NHS.

"Ministers have let their obsession with targets and tick boxes get in the way of tackling the infection crisis in the NHS. The NAO report reveals that half of NHS trusts feel that flawed Government targets have hampered their attempts to tackle infections. This is a damning indictment of the Governments short-sighted obsession with waiting times.

"Infection control staff are poorly resourced and lack the authority to do the job. It is shocking that one in four hospitals have cut their spending on infection control in the last four years.

"The dangerous shortage of isolation facilities in the NHS highlighted in the report is a scandal. Despite repeated questioning Ministers haven't got a clue how many isolation facilities let alone what plans there are to add more.

"Cutting infection is not rocket science. The NHS must re-learn the lessons Florence Nightingale taught over 100 years ago. Fighting infection is a task for everyone who works in the NHS. What is needed now is a culture of zero tolerance for hospital infections"