|
|
|
|
|
Saturday, 27 May 2006 08:43 | BNN: British Nursing News Online · www.bnn-online.co.uk
|
|
The training course "cleanliness champions", that the Scottish Executive set up in order to combat infections such as MRSA in hospitals, it is now under threat because nurses do not have the time to complete the required training.
The initiative was launched four years ago, with a pledge to train 3,500 nurses with extra skills to fight hospital-acquired infections.
The course can be done online, which takes about 20 hours. But extra time is required for work-based elements, so that the training can be placed in context.
But NHS Education for Scotland (NES), which developed the programme, acknowledged that in some cases, nurses were having problems finding the time to complete it.
Katherine Murphy, of the Patients Association, said it was "extremely concerned" about nurses not being given the time to do the training.
She said: "From a patient safety point of view, it is very worrying.
"How would a patient feel if they realised the person looking after them had not been able to do all the training available because of a lack of time?
"When cuts start to be made, such as reducing time for training, which is when accidents can happen.
"That is when everything slips and we are not looking after patients as well as we should”.
Maggie White, the deputy director of the Royal College of Nursing in Scotland, said the college strongly supported the cleanliness champions’ scheme.
But she added: "However, progress so far has been disappointingly slow in some parts of the country.
"This will only improve if the barriers to staff joining the scheme are dealt with.
"They need to be supported with the time and staff cover that is necessary to access and complete the course."
Last year, the Executive made the initiative mandatory for all charge nurse grades. A spokeswoman said work was continuing to achieve this.
She said: "We recognise that completion of the training programme requires significant staff time and commitment.
"We recently provided over £230,000 in extra funding to help boards improve completion rates".
The spokeswoman added: "Over the last eight months, there has been a rapid increase in the uptake and completion of the cleanliness champions training programme.
"We are on course to reach the target of 3,500 champions later this year”.
|
|
-
0 comments on this story
|
|
Home Top Disclaimer Site
Credits
Nursing Jobs | Just for Nurses | Nursing Agencies List | Charles Bloe Training
Nursing Portal | Nursing Events | Brutish Nursing | British Nursing Websites
Website Development and SEO Services
|
|
|