Program Overview and Update

The HAI program supports NSW Health organisations, local health districts and specialty health networks to improve systems to manage and monitor the prevention and control of HAIs. Prevention of HAIs and the transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms (MROs) are key patient safety and clinical quality initiatives in the NSW health system.

Key areas of focus for the HAI program are:

• Development and review of HAI related policy directives, guidelines, practice handbook and resources
• State-wide support for the identification, prevention and management of emerging and critical organisms
• State-wide support for the National Hand Hygiene Initiative (NHHI)
• Development and review of HAI clinical indicators
• State-wide support for the implementation of National Standard 3
• State-wide support for the implementation of AS/NZS 4187: 2014 Reprocessing of reusable medical devices in health service organizations
• State-wide support for Environmental cleaning programs.

Policy development

Three documents were released 2019:

• PD2019_040: Intravascular Access Devices (IVAD) - Infection Prevention & Control
• GL2019_012: Surveillance & Response for Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales (CPE) in NSW Health Facilities
• GL2019_013: Triggers for Escalation Following Detection of Infection Outbreaks or Clusters

Released to date in 2020:

• HAI Clinical Indicator Manual Version 3.3 – September 2021
• Cleaning of the Healthcare Environment policy

IP&C Clinical Practice Forum 2019

The 2019 ICP Clinical Practice Forum for NSW Infection Prevention and Control Professionals was held in Sydney on 9 May. Available here are the Program for the day, the slides for various presentations and the results of the small group discussions on HAI-related HACs and the proposed lower national SAB benchmark.

• HAI ICP Clinical Practice Forum ~862KB
  Patient safety reducing harm from HAIs - Program
• QARS - Quality Audit Reporting System - QIDS - Quality Improvement Data System ~2.3MB
  Dr James Mackie - Medical Director, Patient Safety, Clinical Excellence Commission
  Jun Bai - Senior Manager, Data Team, Clinical Excellence Commission
• ACSQHS - Current Work and 2019/2020 Priorities ~1.4MB
  Dr Jan Gralton - Senior Advisor Infection Prevention and Control and Healthcare Associated Infections, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHS)
• HAI Related Hospital Acquired Complications ~685KB
  Kathy Dempsey, Ronald Govers, Susan Jain, Carolyn Ellis, HAI Team 2019, Clinical Excellence Commission
• Infection Prevention and the Patient's Voice ~3.0MB
  Ruth Barratt - RN, BSc, MAdvPrac (Hons), PhD Candidate and Research Assistant, Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Westmead Institute for Medical Research University of Sydney
• The Untouchables - Time for a New Approach Clinical ~2.4MB
  Susan Jain - RN, MN, PhD candidate, Infection Prevention and Control Practitioner, Conjoint Lecturer UNSW, HAI Program Project Officer, Clinical Excellence Commission
• Results small group discussions on HAI related HACs and lower SAB benchmark ~472KB
  ICP Clinical Practice Forum