R17 Response Accepted AI-assessed

Ward admission responsibility

Recommendation

Health Boards should ensure that where there is risk of cross infection, the nurse in charge of a ward has ultimate responsibility for admission of patients to the ward or bay.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
According to the Excellence in Care framework and the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM), NHS Health Boards address the responsibility of the nurse in charge for patient admissions during cross-infection risk. According to Healthcare Improvement Scotland's (HIS) Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Standards, Standard 4 covers ward-level infection management and admission decisions. According to Healthcare Improvement Scotland in January 2025, operational compliance with these national standards varies across different NHS boards.
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 19 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.gov.scot, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
Scotland
Response
Accepted
Accepted Scottish Government
18 Jun 2015

Section 2.1 of the Scottish Government's response details the Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICP) which are basic infection prevention and control measures. One of the ten SICPs is "Patient placement in wards and bays," directly addressing the management of patients within wards to reduce cross-infection risk. This framework supports the nurse in charge's responsibility for patient admissions in such circumstances.

Read Full Response
Published Evidence

Published assessments of implementation progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Check the source type badge to see whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.

Good Progress
01 Jan 2025
Healthcare Improvement Scotland Other

Excellence in Care framework and NIPCM address ward admission control during infection risk. HIS IPC Standards Standard 4 (Assurance and Monitoring) covers ward-level infection management including admission decisions.

View detailed findings

Ward-level nursing practice addressed through national standards but operational compliance varies by board. HEI inspections assess compliance.

Excellence in Care and HIS IPC Standards View Source
Source
Report The Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry Report 24 Nov 2014
Responsible Bodies
NHS Health Boards (Scotland) Primary
Recommendation age 11.3 yrs
Last formal update 3932 days ago