Patient survey highlights 'weak leadership' by trust boards

Information on infection control and prevention is not reaching the right staff and many frontline staff are unaware of Department of Health guidance on infection control, according a NHS staff survey by the Patient's Association.

The survey, 'Preventing Infections on the Frontline – a survey of NHS staff', of over 500 NHS staff found a disparity about the importance and attitude of infection prevention at individual trusts.

The charity said it also showed that strategic health authorities were not as 'useful' as they needed to be in ensuring best practice in controlling infection rates.

Claire Rayner, president of the Patients Association, said that the survey highlighted the 'desperation' of senior clinical staff. 'For how much longer must patients be put unnecessarily at risk and public money allowed to pour down a sometimes very dirty drain?,' she said.

Findings from the survey also showed that in some cases new PFI hospitals were still failing to build enough isolation rooms for infected patients.

'Ultimately this report points to the weak leadership of too many trust boards,' Ms Rayner added.