Fears top Lothian medics are spreading superbugs

Published on Friday 25 September 2009 09:41

DOCTORS and consultants in the Lothians have been threatened with disciplinary action after it emerged more than one in ten do not wash their hands properly between patients.

Spot checks found that while nurses and other health staff were doing well to keep to the rules on hand washing, around 11 per cent of senior medical staff – or roughly 250 – were not.

The findings led Lothian health board members to order a crackdown and warn that staff will be reprimanded "whether they are a doctor or a porter".

It is unlikely it would ever reach the stage of doctors being suspended, or even dismissed, with sources saying written or verbal warnings would be sufficient.

Regular hand washing is seen as increasingly important in the battle to reduce superbugs and the spread of flu in hospitals.

NHS Lothian's medical director Charles Swainson told the health board he was keen to improve the rate of handwashing across the board, but especially among doctors. He has already written to consultants urging them to abide by hand hygiene instructions.

"It's not a satisfactory position at all," he said.

"There are worrying areas which achieve very low levels of compliance."

The vice-chairman of the health board Eddie Egan added: "We have no problem using employee conduct procedures.

"We don't treat anyone differently whether you're a doctor or a porter."

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon has put a huge emphasis on hand hygiene in the war on diseases like C.diff and MRSA. She introduced a zero tolerance approach, sparking a number of surveillance exercises to make sure staff were complying.

It is understood that outpatients departments and theatres are the two worst offending places for poor hand hygiene.

NHS Lothian bosses said while doctors generally knew to wash their hands after touching a patient, not everyone was aware that contact included handling their notes or items around them, even if they didn't directly touch the individual.

Margaret Watt, chairwoman of the Scotland Patients Association, said: "If you look back through the years doctors have always been the worst. I don't know if they think they're above it, are complacent, or simply think they don't have time. Well I'm afraid they are going to have to have time, because they're letting the profession down.

"Tougher action is needed, we need to say 'right, if you don't comply, you're off the ward'."

The warnings came as it emerged there were 85 cases of C.diff in Lothians hospitals in August, and two instances of MRSA.

The NHS has begun to break down cases of each Healthcare Acquired Infection (HAI) by age to build a clearer picture of exactly who is at risk. Director of public health Alison McCallum pointed out that considering there are 20,000 bed days each month in local hospitals, the rate of superbugs is comparatively low.