Infection screening and HAIs
Barnsley Hospital screen all patients for MRSA on admission.
Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) are acquired as a result of a person’s treatment in a healthcare setting such as a hospital, care home or GP surgery.
Hand hygiene
One of our best weapons in the fight against infection is to ensure that patients and visitors wash their hands on entering and leaving the hospital and wards.
Promoting regular hand washing
This is because bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics are on the increase and to keep the hospital safe, we all need to take care, wash our hands regularly and use the alcohol gel provided.
Wash away the problem before it becomes one. Together we can fight the spread of infection
Infection risk at Barnsley Hospital
The risk of getting an infection whilst in hospital is very low but at any given time, around 8% of patients in any hospital in the country can have a HAI.
Other common infections people can get whilst they are poorly include urinary tract infections, lower respiratory infections, skin and soft tissue infections and infections from surgical wounds.
We are one of the best performers in the region for keeping infection rates low but we are not complacent and need the commitment of staff, patients and visitors to make sure we keep these rates as low as possible.
To ensure our infection rates remain low and that patient safety is kept at a high level we actively look out for the following infections (information from NHS Choices):
MRSA
MRSA is a type of bacterial infection that is resistant to a number of widely used antibiotics. This means it can be more difficult to treat than other bacterial infections, read more.
Viral gastroenteritis (Norovirus)
Gastroenteritis is an infection of the stomach and bowel. The most common symptoms are repeated episodes of diarrhoea (three or more episodes within the space of 24 hours) and vomiting, read more.
Clostridium difficile (C. diff)
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) are bacteria that are present naturally in the gut of around two-thirds of children and 3% of adults, read more.
Infection control performance
We are one of the best performers in the region for keeping infection rates low but we are not complacent and with the commitment of staff, patients and visitors, our aim is to make sure we keep these rates as low as possible.
- We had two cases of MRSA bacteraemia in 2017/18
- We had just 13 cases of C.Difficile in 2017/18