The Welsh Assembly government has announced new plans to tackle hospital acquired infections.
Health minister Edwina Hart has appointed a group of health experts to consider how ward sisters can be given more responsibility over cleanliness.
They will also look at whether hospitals should provide changing rooms for staff in order to reduce rates of Clostridium difficile and MRSA.
GPs’ surgeries, physiotherapists, nursing homes, and dentists will also be issued with guidelines to ensure health workers understand the dangers in an effort to prevent the pathogens reaching hospitals.
Ms Hart said the fight against infections in hospitals is going well so far, but more needs to be done.
“We therefore need to do all we can to reduce the number of people with infections entering hospitals in the first place,” she said.
And speaking about the new guidance, she added: “It has been developed to highlight best practice in infection control and make all organisations aware of their responsibilities in combating infections.
“The guidance will be aimed at a wide range of individuals and organisations that provide healthcare in the community and includes a range of actions that healthcare organisations and professionals can take to stop patients, residents and healthcare workers from becoming infected as a result of receiving care in the community.”
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