Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 131: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if there is international evidence to suggest that restrictions on the visiting arrangements to hospitals would make a significant contribution to controlling the spread of hospital infections; if there are protocols indicating when such controls should be implemented which have occurred on a number of occasions in respect of the winter vomiting bug; and if she will make a statement on the policy in this area. [32765/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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Visiting patients in hospital is an integral part of every day health service life and is something that can be beneficial to the patients, their families and friends. However, the growing threat of hospital infections, from MRSA or vomiting bugs, has necessitated the drawing up of more restrictive visiting guidelines.

It is difficult to find evidence of the clinical effectiveness of any single strategy such as imposing visiting restrictions on the prevention and control of healthcare associated infections as most programmes implement a number of interventions simultaneously. Other interventions such as surveillance, good hand hygiene, antibiotic stewardship programmes, isolation or cohorting of patients with infections play a greater role in prevention than do visiting restrictions.

It is further recognised that members of the public have a role to play in preventing healthcare associated infection. Visitors may be sources of infection. Visitors are encouraged to use the alcohol hand rub when entering and leaving the clinical areas. Certain areas require stricter controls because of the greater hazards from infection such as burn or intensive care units.

The HSE issued National Visiting Guidance to hospitals in September 2006. The Guidance reflects a balance between the needs of patients, their visitors, hospital staff and hospital procedures. The guidelines state that the welfare of the patient must always be taken into consideration. The need for privacy and the potential for the spread of infection means that continuous visiting hours are not in the patients' interests.

More rigorous restrictions may be introduced in the event of an outbreak of infectious disease as occurred in relation to norovirus (winter vomiting) outbreaks in recent years. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has produced the National Guidelines on the Management of Norovirus Infection in Healthcare Settings for such a situation. These guidelines state that during an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug all visiting should be minimised, children (where possible) should not visit and visitors with a history of vomiting or diarrhoea at home should not visit until at least 48 hours after their last episode.