Safety

This section contains information about how we are performing in the following areas:

Infection control

MRSA bacteraemia

MRSA (bacteraemia) is a healthcare associated infection. The Department of Health has a zero tolerence target for MRSA.

How we are doing

We report monthly on MRSA (bacteraemia) infections acquired by patients in our hospitals. In 2019-20, we have had no cases of MRSA to date (November 2019). The table below shows this broken down by month.

MRSA infections
April 2019	0
May 2019	0
June 2019	0
July 2019	0
August 2019	0
September 2019	0
October 2019	0
November 2019	0
December 2019	-
January 2020	-
February 2020	-
March 2019	-

Please note that these figures are not added to the site until they have been ratified by our Board.

Clostridium difficile infections

Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is also a healthcare associated infection. The Department of Health sets a maximum number of cases of C. difficile we must not exceed each year, including community onset cases. For 2019-20, this is 52 cases.

How we are doing

We report monthly on C. difficile infections acquired by patients in our hospitals. In 2019-20, we have had 32 cases to date (November 2019).

Please note that these figures are not added to the site until they have been ratified by our Board.

Safe staffing

Safe nurse staffing

As part of the National Quality board guidance (2013) all NHS trusts are required to assure themselves that there is sufficient staffing capacity and capability to provide high quality care to patients on all wards, clinical areas, departments, services or environments day or night, every day of the week.

Boards monitor staffing capacity and capability through regular and frequent reports on the actual staff on duty on a shift-to-shift basis, versus planned staffing levels. These reports are presented at every trust Board meeting. A six-monthly review is taken to board.

The reports below are published following our monthly Trust Executive Committee (TEC).

Monthly reports (2016-17)

March 2017: Safe staffing information Month 12 2016-17 [pdf] 349KB
February 2017: Safe staffing information Month 11 2016-17 [pdf] 349KB
January 2017: Safe staffing information Month 10 2016-17 [pdf] 358KB
December 2016: Safe staffing information Month 9 2016-17 [pdf] 386KB
November 2016: Safe staffing information Month 8 2016-17 [pdf] 385KB
October 2016: Safe staffing information Month 7 2016-17 [pdf] 385KB
September 2016: Safe staffing information Month 6 2016-17 [pdf] 52KB
August 2016: Safe staffing information Month 5 2016-17 [pdf] 395KB
July 2016: Safe staffing information Month 4 2016-17 [pdf] 393KB
June 2016: Safe staffing information Month 3 2016-17 [pdf] 384KB
May 2016: Safe staffing information Month 2 2016-17 [pdf] 394KB

Six-monthly reports

The report provides the trust Board with a six-monthly update on progress to ensure compliance with national guidance, and provide assurance of the work in progress to monitor and manage safe staffing levels of nursing and midwifery staff.

TB 007-16 Safe Staffing 6-Monthly Establishment Review (February 2016) [pdf] 654KB

If you have any comments regarding nursing staffing levels within the trust please contact us.

Levels of staffing are also one of the patient safety indicators published by NHS Choices by hospital:

Venous thromboembolism (VTE)

This quality standard covers the reduction in risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adults admitted as hospital inpatients or formally admitted to a hospital bed for day-case procedures.

It shows the proportion of patients assessed on admission for VTE risk using the clinical risk assessment criteria described in the national tool.

The threshold is 95%.

Our performance for October 2019 is: 91.2%.