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NSW doctors told wash hands or be fired
December 16, 2008
Article from: The Daily Telegraph
DOCTORS will be fired for not washing their hands under one of the first major promises by the New South Wales Government to overhaul the health system.
After meeting 120 clinicians and hospital officials yesterday, Health Minister John Della Bosca said he would make immediate changes to lift standards in hospitals.
Under the first significant commitment by the Government, following Commissioner Peter Garling's inquiry into hospitals, doctors who continually fail to wash their hands will be disciplined, then dismissed.
New medical emergency response teams will be rolled out in every hospital over the next six months, changing the way patients are monitored to prevent another death, like that of Vanessa Anderson, who was prescribed the wrong painkillers by junior staff.
"There is a real sense that there needs to be change," Mr Della Bosca said.
"We have to address the key problems in the system.
"There is an issue of making sure people have responsibility for patient care and patient safety and having the power and resources to deal with it."
It is the first time the minister and health officials have met since Mr Garling handed down his report last month - which contained 139 recommendations for the health system.
The nine-month inquiry was commissioned after the death of Vanessa Anderson, 15, who was hit in the head by a golf ball but died as a result of "systemic failures" at Royal North Shore Hospital.
In his report, Mr Garling criticised doctors for failing to carry out basic hand washing, which can spread infectious diseases, including the potentially fatal golden staph.
Yesterday, a unanimous decision was made by doctors, surgeons and nurses to introduce mandatory hand washing protocols -- which include counselling as well as publishing infection control rates for each ward.
NSW Health director-general Professor Debora Picone said staff would be equipped with personal sanitisers to wash their hands immediately after treating a patient.
"Currently there are sanitisers at the bed ... we will immediately implement hand washing procedures but also make access to more products," she said.
Nurses and junior staff will be given a "patient checklist" to monitor respiratory levels and other vital signs, looking for deterioration in patients in general wards.
Mr Della Bosca said he would need to make difficult decisions in order to fix the health system.
The changes could mean closing some emergency departments.
NSW doctors told wash hands or be fired
December 16, 2008
Article from: The Daily Telegraph
DOCTORS will be fired for not washing their hands under one of the first major promises by the New South Wales Government to overhaul the health system.
After meeting 120 clinicians and hospital officials yesterday, Health Minister John Della Bosca said he would make immediate changes to lift standards in hospitals.
Under the first significant commitment by the Government, following Commissioner Peter Garling's inquiry into hospitals, doctors who continually fail to wash their hands will be disciplined, then dismissed.
New medical emergency response teams will be rolled out in every hospital over the next six months, changing the way patients are monitored to prevent another death, like that of Vanessa Anderson, who was prescribed the wrong painkillers by junior staff.
"There is a real sense that there needs to be change," Mr Della Bosca said.
"We have to address the key problems in the system.
"There is an issue of making sure people have responsibility for patient care and patient safety and having the power and resources to deal with it."
It is the first time the minister and health officials have met since Mr Garling handed down his report last month - which contained 139 recommendations for the health system.
The nine-month inquiry was commissioned after the death of Vanessa Anderson, 15, who was hit in the head by a golf ball but died as a result of "systemic failures" at Royal North Shore Hospital.
In his report, Mr Garling criticised doctors for failing to carry out basic hand washing, which can spread infectious diseases, including the potentially fatal golden staph.
Yesterday, a unanimous decision was made by doctors, surgeons and nurses to introduce mandatory hand washing protocols -- which include counselling as well as publishing infection control rates for each ward.
NSW Health director-general Professor Debora Picone said staff would be equipped with personal sanitisers to wash their hands immediately after treating a patient.
"Currently there are sanitisers at the bed ... we will immediately implement hand washing procedures but also make access to more products," she said.
Nurses and junior staff will be given a "patient checklist" to monitor respiratory levels and other vital signs, looking for deterioration in patients in general wards.
Mr Della Bosca said he would need to make difficult decisions in order to fix the health system.
The changes could mean closing some emergency departments.