Further to guidance issued in February by the Chief Medical Officer additional best practice technical guidance is being published today.
The guidance is aimed at those healthcare organisations providing patient care in augmented care units, such as paediatric and adult critical care, neonatal and burns units and provides advice for health care providers on:
- assessing the risk to patients if water systems become contaminated with P. aeruginosa or other opportunistic pathogens;
- what actions to take if water systems become contaminated with P. aeruginosa;
- protocols for sampling, testing and monitoring water for P. aeruginosa: and
- developing local water safety plans.
The guidance encourages healthcare organisations to develop a local plan for risk assessing augmented care units by June 2012 with appropriate water sampling by the end of 2012.
Read the guidance: Water sources and potential Pseudomonas aeruginosa contamination of taps and water systems - Advice for augmented care unit