Hygiene breach hospital improves

Hygiene breaches were found in two unannounced inspections

Hygiene has improved at an east London hospital after it was ordered to make urgent changes for breaching rules.

In December the Healthcare Commission served Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust an improvement notice.

It found "significant" hygiene breaches including dirty bedpans and commodes at the hospital. Its decontamination of surgical equipment was also criticised.

The commission said the trust had now made necessary improvements and reduced the risk of infection to patients.

Visibly dirty

The hygiene breaches were found in two unannounced inspections of the hospital last November.

Bedpans and commodes were found that had been cleaned yet remained visibly dirty.

The trust failed to follow guidelines for decontaminating endoscopes - tubes with cameras at the end which are used to view the patient's stomach and bowels.

In one room inspectors found the trust had not followed steps to ensure clean equipment was separate from dirty equipment. They also criticised staff training at the trust.

However, inspectors acknowledged the trust's rates of MRSA and Clostridium difficile had "generally been low".

We will continue to monitor the trust to ensure that they maintain the good practice they have developed Christine Braithwaite, Healthcare Commission

The trust had until 30 January to implement all of the commission's improvements.

On Thursday the commission said the trust had met the required standards by reviewing its decontamination processes and improving its staff training and the way it monitors infection control.

Christine Braithwaite, head of the commission's inspection programme, said: "By making these improvements, the trust has reduced the risk of infection to patients and ensured it has the ability to control infection outbreaks should they occur."

She added: "We will continue to monitor the trust to ensure that they maintain the good practice they have developed and that infection prevention and control remains a top priority."

Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has yet to comment.