Nicola Sturgeon to set up Infection Inspectors for random hospital checks

Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon announced today that she is setting up a team of inspectors to ensure that hospitals maintain and win the fight against infections acquires in hospital – such as the potentially lethal MRSA and Clostridium Difficile.

These inspectors will be empowered to go into any hospital anywhere in Scotland to check on their hygiene and anti-infection procedures. Ms Sturgeon described the initiative as a crucial part of the strategy to defeat these particular infections.

The Minister sees one of the failings of previous anti-infection strategies in hospitals as having been too reliant on self-assessment. Every hospital in the country will now be subject to random inspections to check that they are meeting hygiene and infection control standards.