New hygiene standards for hospitals by year end
12/09/2005 - 11:58:55The body that oversees the quality of the Irish health service has said it hopes to have new national hygiene standards in place by the end of this year.
The Irish Health Services Accreditation Board said it had been asked by Health Minister Mary Harney to develop the standards in association with the Health Service Executive.
The move is a response to growing concerns about poor hygiene in Irish hospitals and the contribution this plays to the spread of so-called 'superbugs' like MRSA.
The IHSAB also said today that it planned to publish voluntary national standards governing nursing homes this November.
Despite the voluntary status of the standards, the board said it was confident of a positive response.
