Best Care Always Campaign

In an effort to improve the quality of care in SA’s public and private hospitals, the Best Care Always campaign is promoting 4 infection control protocols aimed at reducing preventable complications. The bundles are:

• ventilator associated pneumonia
• urine catheter associated infection
• entral-line associated infection
• surgical site infections
• All staff members are required to attend this in-service training which is compulsory for nursing staff in Arwyp

This is a campaign by all South African health providers to ensure improvement in care and application of best practice and patient safety. The initiative is supported and encouraged by HASA and endorsed by FIDSSA and the Critical Care Society.  178 hospitals including Netcare, Life, Mediclinic and Arwyp from the NHN hospitals; have joined to make a difference; to reduce infection and shorten patient hospital stays.

NHN has in return launched their Best Care Always workshops lead by Dirkie Theunissen.  NHN had their first workshop in Gauteng on the 18th of January 2010 with over 60 NHN Nursing Services Managers, Theatre Managers and Nursing staff attending.

The next workshops are to be held in Cape Town on the 7th of May 2010 and in Durban on the 27th of May 2010.