This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Infection control standards for care homes
29/11/2002
Proposals for the first-ever national standards for infection control in care homes were published today.
The working group on Infection Control Standards for Adult Care Homes and Other Care Services, chaired by Margaret Tannahill, was asked to develop the first national standards for infection control in adult care homes in both the public and private sector, building on the best practice emerging from local standards already in place.
A consultation paper featuring the group's proposals has been published by the Scottish Executive, with the aim of having the final standards in place in all care homes in Scotland in 2003.
Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm said:
"I commend Margaret Tannahill and the members of her working group for producing this comprehensive and thought-provoking report in a very short timescale. I am confident that it will encourage discussion and comment about how best to control infection in adult care homes, and help inform the development of agreed national standards. I welcome that open and inclusive debate.
"This consultation paper reaffirms the commitment of the Scottish Executive to health protection and the prevention of infection in all health and social care settings"
The deadline for comment is 28 February 2003.
The remit of the working group on Infection Control Standards for Adult Care Homes and Other Care Services was:
"To prepare and publish, by 31 October 2002, a consultation paper setting out detailed proposals for new national infection control standards for private and public sector adult care homes, and other care services for adults. The proposals should seek to build upon any consistency in (or best practice emerging from) current local policies and standards. They should also take account of the regulatory responsibility of the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care, and, if appropriate, relevant developments elsewhere in the UK."
The membership of the working group is as follows:
- Margaret Tannahill (Chair), senior public health nurse, NHS Argyll and Clyde;
- Susan Brimelow, Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care;
- Craig Martin, Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care;
- Crawford Morgan, North Lanarkshire Council;
- Deirdre Moss, Capability Scotland;
- Sarah Murdoch, NHS Forth Valley NHS;
- Joan Sneddon, Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health and Clinical Standards Board Scotland;
- Sandra Stark, Ashbourne Healthcare;
- Joan Watson, South Lanarkshire Council.
The consultation document is being published today on the Scottish Executive website (www.scotland.gov.uk); next week, hard copies will be distributed to individuals and organisations with a relevant interest.