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4 Jul 2005 : Column 230W—continued

Sterile Services Departments

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether inspection of sterile services departments forms part of the Healthcare Commission's performance ratings. [7506]

Jane Kennedy: In July 2004, the Department issued Standards for Better Health", the first ever national standards for the national health service. The Healthcare Commission will be assessing and rating the NHS against these standards from 2005–06. Core standard four says that:

Health care organisations keep patients, staff and visitors safe by having systems to ensure that:

the risk of health care acquired infection to patients is reduced, with particular emphasis on high standards of hygiene and cleanliness, achieving year on year reductions in methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus;

all risks associated with the acquisition and use of medical devices are minimised;

all reusable medical devices are properly decontaminated prior to use and that the risks associated with decontamination facilities and processes are well managed;

medicines are handled safely and securely; and

the prevention, segregation, handling, transport and disposal of waste is properly managed so as to minimise the risks to the health and safety of staff, patients, the public and the safety of the environment."

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