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26-04-2010

Experts Call for More Ambitious Targets to Tackle Healthcare Associated Infections in Ireland

April 26th 2010: A leading international management consultancy has called for the adoption of more ambitious targets to tackle all healthcare associated infections (HCAI) in Ireland. Along with the immediate adoption of a number of other measures, increased targets would help curb levels of HCAI in Ireland and potentially save millions of euro in public healthcare spending.

PA Consulting, which works with the English Department of Health on its Healthcare Associated Infections (HCAI) Improvement Programme, said more ambitious targets and increased support to hospitals challenged with high levels of HCAI were just part of a serious of initiatives that were needed to help address the costs, in terms of spending and manpower, associated with the prevalence of MRSA and other healthcare associated infections

The proposals from PA Consulting are based on the consultancy’s recent experience with the English Department of Health. PA Consulting supported a three year infection prevention programme for the National Health Service in England. The programme has exceeded its targets, saving over stg£20 million in treatment costs, and preventing more than 2,000 deaths.

This follows the publication last week of a report which estimated that MRSA infection in Irish hospitals costs more than €23 million per annum. The report, which was produced by an expert group, including microbiologists, hospital pharmacists and patient advocates, also highlighted the impact of HCAI on patients’ recovery and quality of life.

Síle Ryan, managing consultant, PA Consulting, said: “Measures put in place by the Health Service Executive’s HCAI Governance Group, through the implementation of the ‘Just Say No to Infection’ strategy, have succeeded in reducing MRSA rates by over 30%. However, the financial cost of MRSA, as highlighted by this report, shows there is a need to do more”.  

“We believe further improvements could be achieved through more ambitious targets and better surveillance data for all HCAI, combined with a greater understanding of why the hospitals challenged with high levels of HCAI are not adopting best practice. There is also a strong case for savings realised through reduction of HCAI rates to be invested in infection prevention and management initiatives - whether that be staff training and support, or hospital cleaning or availability of isolation beds,” said Ms. Ryan.

PA Consulting has made the following recommendations:

- More ambitious targets to be put in place for the reductions of HCAI, as part of a new nationwide mandatory surveillance system of all HCAI and improved data on infection-related mortality.

- Mandatory MRSA screening for all patients admitted to hospital.

- Help the most challenged hospitals to understand why best practice guidelines for managing everyday procedures - e.g. inserting peripheral lines and urinary catheters, the prescribing and control of antibiotics - are necessary and to help implement these guidelines in these hospitals. In England, implementing the Code of Practice for Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections (Health Act 2006) is a legal requirement for acute hospitals and other care providers.
 
- Putting in place governance and assurance arrangements from ‘ward to board’ and up to HSE level. 

“The changes that we’ve recommended won’t happen overnight but they are achievable. There are targets in place for managing HCAI in Ireland, but we believe that any improvements need to focus on the healthcare system as a whole, by addressing areas like leadership, accountability, compliance and measurement. And the returns can be huge. MRSA rates in England have fallen by more than 50 per cent since the programme was introduced three years ago,” said Ms. Ryan.

“In England, hospital boards that have led the reducing of infections have developed strategies that ensure the successful implementation of prevention and control policies. They have systems in place to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical process and they understand the benefit of using data to focus their improvement work on high risk areas. These are the kind of strategies that need to be introduced here in Ireland,” she said.

Notes to editors: MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The term is used to describe a number of strains of the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, that are resistant to a number of antibiotics including methicillin.

About PA Consulting:
PA Consulting Group is a leading management and technology consulting firm. Independent and employee-owned, the company operates globally in more than 30 countries and transform the performance of major organisations in both the private and public sectors. PA Consulting has strong expertise in communications, media and entertainment, defence, energy, financial services, government and public services, healthcare, international development, manufacturing, transportation and logistics. Further information is available at: www.paconsulting.com.