Nurses will be given more powers

Health Minister Andy Kerr has unveiled a �15m campaign aimed at tackling a problem which affects about 33,000 hospital patients each year.

Sisters and charge nurses will undergo training in infection control and be given more powers.

A new bacteria-fighting hand wash gel is to be made available by every hospital bed by next month.

More research will be carried out on hospital bugs.

The whole campaign will be thorough, relentless and systematic Andy Kerr Health Minister

Cleanliness Champions training will be given to every sister and charge nurse and be built into courses for student nurses.

And health boards will have to appoint a senior infection control manager who will answer directly to the chief executive.

According to Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS), about 33,000 hospital patients develop infections every year.

Levels of the antibiotic-resistant superbug MRSA have remained unchanged for the last three years in Scotland's hospitals.

Mr Kerr said he was tackling the problem of healthcare-associated infection "head-on".

"Most importantly, we are putting sisters/charge nurses back in charge of wards," he said.

Point of contact

"They will be clearly responsible for ensuring ward cleanliness and will have more powers to support this.

"They should be the first point of contact for patients or visitors who have concerns over standards of cleaning.

I certainly hope this is something which has the best interests of patients at heart and is not just a political smokescreen Dr Nanette Milne Tory health spokeswoman

"The whole campaign will be thorough, relentless and systematic - and it has to involve everyone because infection control is everyone's business."

The Royal College of Nursing welcomed the announcement.

Its Scottish board chairwoman, Jane McCready, said: "RCN Scotland has long been arguing that nurses are best placed to provide the leadership needed in dealing with ward cleanliness and infections and being able to intervene with the authority of chief executives will help to ensure that problems are dealt with as and when they arise.

"However, it will also be vital that nursing staff are given the resources and support locally to implement changes quickly when they identify them."

Scottish National Party health spokeswoman Shona Robison also welcomed the move - but said more action was needed.

Ward cleanliness

"There are a number of other serious issues that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency," she said.

"For example, those contracts still in private hands should be brought back in house now so they are part of the NHS hospital team, while staffing levels on wards must be improved."

Tory health spokeswoman Dr Nanette Milne said: "I am concerned that these measures are being brought in because the executive failed its previous attempts to train all nurses in standards of hospital cleanliness.