Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 57: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the action she will take to ensure that hygiene standards in public hospitals are significantly improved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29994/07]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 69: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on whether the review on hospital hygiene published by the Health Information and Quality Authority is a scandalous indictment of the management and governance of public hospitals here by both hospital management and the Health Service Executive and that lack of adequate hygiene indefensibly exposes patients to unacceptable risks of contracting MRSA, C. Difficile and other hospital acquired diseases; and the reason for her failure to ensure that appropriate structures are in place to provide proper hygiene throughout hospitals and to protect patients and the general public from unnecessary risk. [29952/07]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 70: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the action taken by her to ensure proper standards of hygiene are maintained in hospitals here and to reduce the risk posed to patients by MRSA, C. Difficile and other hospital acquired diseases. [29953/07]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if, in relation to the 2006 prevalence survey of healthcare associated infections in acute hospitals which found that Ireland had a lower prevalence rate of both HCAIs and MRSA than England, Wales or Northern Ireland, she has access to the survey results as broken down by reference to the individual hospitals here that participated in the survey; if so, if the rates of HCAI in those hospitals can be related with reasonable statistical confidence to their ratings in the review of hospital hygiene recently published by HIQA; if not, the reason for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29978/07]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 80: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has received the report of the first National Hygiene Service Quality Review by the Health Information and Quality Authority; the action she proposes to take in response; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29944/07]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Question 81: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on the recent findings of the National Hygiene Services Quality Review 2007; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29991/07]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 92: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if, as a matter of policy, personnel in charge of hygiene in hospitals have the status to be able to insist that the necessary actions are taken to improve hygiene standards in their hospitals in the context of the HIQA report which showed that no hospital here has achieved very good hygiene status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29962/07]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on whether the findings of the National Hygiene Services Quality Review 2007 demonstrate that hygiene standards in public hospitals have not improved but have in actual fact deteriorated since the findings of the previous review by the Health Service Executive were published in June 2006; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29993/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 114: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason that hygiene standards or measures likely to prevent MRSA appear to have fallen or are not applied in recent times despite widespread public concern and initiatives taken by her Department and the Health Service Executive; if she will take steps to address the issues arising from the recent hospital hygiene audit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28040/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 192: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she, the Health Service Executive or another body or agency have been given responsibility to address the issue of hygiene in respect of some hospitals with a poor performance in the recent hygiene audit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30288/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 204: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason hospital hygiene standards appear to have deteriorated since the last hygiene audit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30300/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 57, 69, 70, 74, 80, 81, 92, 111, 114, 192 and 204 together.

Achieving and maintaining the highest possible standards of hygiene in our hospitals and healthcare facilities generally is a priority for this Government.

The National Hygiene Services Quality Review on acute hospitals was published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) on 13th November, 2007. The report represents a thorough assessment of how hygiene services are provided and managed in 51 HSE funded acute care hospitals. The method of assessment and criteria used are substantially different to previous audits carried out by the HSE and therefore the results are not comparable. The results do however set a very good benchmark for the future. It is important that our health service provides the highest possible standard of care for patients. Hygiene and infection control are among the essentials that we must get right. That is why the HIQA review not only looked at the immediate service delivery elements of hygiene but also examined the critical areas of governance and corporate management.

Hospitals generally performed well on hygiene in the service delivery area. Most hospitals achieved either extensive or exceptional compliance with the standard in the service delivery section of the report. However, the results were poor on governance. While improvements have been made and are acknowledged in the report, no hospital achieved a 'very good' rating, 7 were categorised as 'good', 35 as 'fair' and 9 as 'poor'.

I support the emphasis by HIQA on a 'whole system' approach to hygiene. The report indicates clearly that the review is not, and was never intended to be, an absolute assessment of cleanliness in a given hospital. It provides a detailed assessment of performance across the entire range of areas that impact hygiene so that individual hospitals can identify areas of strength and areas for improvement.

While the good hygiene practice of front line staff highlighted in the report is vital, real improvement in this whole area also depends heavily on good leadership and a system of governance. A quality improvement plan now needs to be drawn up by all the hospitals and the HSE. This will continue to be monitored by HIQA as part of its ongoing quality assurance programme.

The HSE established a National Infection Control Action Plan in March 2007. An Infection Control Steering Group, chaired by Dr. Pat Doorley, National Director (Population Health), is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the plan. Over the next three to five years, the HSE aims to reduce Health Care Acquired Infections by 20%, MRSA infection by 30% and antibiotic consumption by 20%. Achievement of these targets will benefit all patients who are at risk. These targets will be achieved through the development of national and local level action plans to reduce the potential for spread of infections between persons in healthcare settings. A key element of the plan is to clearly set out the individual accountable in each hospital who will have the authority to ensure compliance with its various elements. The Steering Group is supported by eight Local Implementation Teams which will ensure that all local facilities are focused on achieving the national targets.

HIQA is currently working with managers and clinicians to develop national standards for Infection Prevention and Control. When completed these, along with the national hygiene standards, will provide a comprehensive framework to help reduce the spread of infection and improve the quality of our health care.

The results in the HIQA review cannot be directly compared to previous HSE hygiene audits or statistically linked to the results of the 2006 HCAI prevalence survey. However, I am satisfied that the progress made since the first HSE Hygiene Audit in 2005 and the measures being taken under the 2007 HSE National Infection Control Action Plan will contribute to significant improvements in hygiene standards and infection control.