News
IPS Environment, Cleaning and Decontamination Conference
The second IPS Environment, Cleaning and Decontamination conference, co-sponsored by Essity’s professional hygiene brand Tork and Sodexo Health & Care, provided an informative insight into infection prevention and control (IP&C) and sustainability. This face-to-face educational conference aimed at healthcare practitioners and fronted by IPS President and ECD lead, Lisa Butcher, focused on fresh topics introduced by leading experts – including IP&C and sustainability specialist, Heidi Barnard, who examined the industry’s path to net zero, highlighting the growing number of successful reusable products on the market, such as sharps containers. She also highlighted the ongoing quest to develop high quality, reusable PPE equipment claiming that tomorrow’s purchasing model would be value-based rather than focusing on just cost. The pros and cons of building new hospitals with single patient rooms were then weighed up by Dr. David Jenkins, consultant medical microbiologist at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. He evidenced that these provided protection against healthcare-associated infections while acknowledging the potential as a psychological barrier for patients. But he added that single-room hospitals were difficult to staff, expensive to build and required more water outlets, but he concluded that hospital design needed to be flexible to mirror the unpredictable nature of healthcare. Consultant practitioner in infection prevention
at Hywel Dda University Health Board, Tracey Gauci, took to the floor to share her healthcare hygiene tips. She explained the difference between cleaning
and disinfection and discussed the role of bleach in healthcare cleaning, ending with an “S-shape hack” that involved cleaning from top to bottom; moving from clean to dirty, remembering the importance of contact time and using one wipe on one surface and in one direction.
Infection consultant at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Dr. Nicole Stoesser, then explained how biofilms can readily spread along sink pipework and considered whether heating devices, waterless facilities or chemical or biological treatments could be solutions to the problem. Professor Cath Noakes, deputy director, Leeds
Institute for Fluid Dynamics School of Civil Engineering University of Leeds, covered the topic of air quality. She talked through solutions such as UV technology, ionisers, plasma devices and photocatalytic oxidation, adding that further research into such systems was required because most data currently originates from lab studies. Finally, consultant clinical scientist, Mark Garvey,
from University Hospital Birmingham, closed the event by summing up the speakers’ contributions and discussing whether or not infection control practices can hinder productivity. The aim of the event – hosted by the Infection
Prevention Society – was to help healthcare practitioners develop their expertise, reduce preventable infections and create safer environments, said Simon Lilley, director of strategy, Sodexo Health & Care: “This supports our aim to create better patient and staff experiences, improve clinical outcomes and ultimately improve patient flow by reducing delayed discharges,” he said.
NICE recommends 3 treatments for COVID-19 in final draft guidance
People at highest risk of developing severe disease include those who are immunosuppressed (for example, as a result of chemotherapy or having had an organ transplant), or who have other conditions such as heart disease, respiratory disease, diabetes, or neurological conditions. The draft guidance means they will have
access to treatments taken either at home or in hospital. It recommends three medicines as options for treating COVID-19 in adults: l Paxlovid (also called nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir and made by Pfizer);
l Xevudy (also called sotrovimab and made by GlaxoSmithKline);
l RoActemra (also called tocilizumab and made by Roche).
Because new COVID variants develop over time, NICE has also announced that it is developing a new review process to update its recommendations on the clinical and cost- effectiveness of COVID-19 treatments so they can be made available more quickly to patients if they show promise against new variants and are found to be cost-effective. NICE is launching a public consultation on proposals for the new rapid update process from 3 April. Paxlovid is recommended for adults who do not need supplemental oxygen for COVID-19 and who have an increased risk for progression to severe COVID-19, as defined in the independent advisory group report commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care. Xevudy is recommended for the same
group where Paxlovid is contraindicated or unsuitable. RoActemra is recommended for treating
COVID-19 in adults who are having systemic corticosteroids and need supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation.
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www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I April 2023
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