The risk management of HAI: A Methodology for NHSscotland

4. Critical Success Factors

Success in reducing the impact of HAI depends on:

• Creating a managed environment that minimises the risk of infection to patients, staff and the public
• Compliance with relevant national Scottish standards ( e.g.NHSQIS standards on HAI control ⁴, National Cleaning Services Specification ⁷) and HAI Task Force documents
• Implementation of national best practice and infection control guidance

This will be achieved by:

• Development of a patient safety focused, partnership culture that secures the involvement and participation of all staff in risk assessment and adverse incident/near miss reporting in relation to HAI
• Ensuring that routine and systematic identification, assessment and control of infection risk is an integral component of all work activities
• Ensuring that an effective reporting process is in place to facilitate the systematic identification of HAI adverse events and near misses
• Acknowledgement that even though staff are accountable for their own actions and decisions, the greatest risk of loss is most likely due to failure in the system rather than individual error alone. (This principle will determine how NHSScotland organisations respond to adverse events)
• Securing the commitment of management at all levels to promote HAI risk management and provide the necessary leadership and direction
• Adoption of agreed standards of risk management throughout the organisation which are audited and monitored at corporate and operational level ensuring that corrective action on infection control is taken where necessary
• Having in place effective communication systems to make sure everyone in the organisation is sufficiently informed about risk management and incident reporting in relation to HAI and infection control
• Providing resources, facilities, information, training, instruction and supervision to meet these objectives