Infection Control Nurses Association Celebrates IC Awareness Week in the UK

During the week of Sept. 22, 2003, the Infection Control Nurses Association is promoting Infection Control Awareness Week throughout England, Wales, Eire and Northern Ireland.

Doctors, nurses and all other hospital staff specializing in infection and communicable disease prevention and control will be undertaking activities to promote infection prevention and control in hospital and community settings throughout the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

Infection prevention remains a high priority not only for healthcare staff, but for the public as a whole. Antibiotic resistance, tuberculosis, MRSA, HIV and the more recent SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) scare continue to challenge infection prevention and control methods.

During this awareness week staff will be able to demonstrate their role and how they can play a part in preventing infection and communicable disease. Presentations throughout the country may include, for example, how handwashing is taught, the role of specialists in infection control, and how healthcare staff and the public can play a part.

In order to add impetus to the week, ICNet Ltd will be sponsoring prizes for both the most innovative and the most amusing hospital campaigns. The prizes will be awarded at the ICNA National Conference.

ICNet are providers of software that aids healthcare workers monitor and thus reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired infections. Following an extensive evaluation by the new Health Protection Agency, ICNet have been selected as the only European company to have software available which meets both all the needs of infection control nurses and HM Government e-GIF (e-Government Interoperability Framework) standards.

The ICNet prizes will be awarded at the ICNA National Conference, where the keynote address will be given by the Rt. Hon. Virginia Bottomley, JP, MP. The conference is being held at the International Centre, Telford Sept. 28 through Oct. 1, 2003 and the theme of the conference is "Practice and Prevention in Partnership." The program includes lectures, free papers and workshops, which will interest healthcare workers from all backgrounds.

The Infection Control Nurses Association is a charitable organization that was established more than 30 years ago. The primary objective of the association is the advancement of education in infection control for the benefit of the whole community. The association has more than 1,300 members in the U.K., Eire and overseas.