Ward admission responsibility
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.
- The Scottish Government's response detailed the Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs), which include 'Patient Placement/Assessment for Infection Risk' as one of 10 core precautions. This establishes the principle that infection risk must be assessed before patient placement.
- The NIPCM provides detailed guidance on patient placement decisions during outbreaks, including the nurse in charge's role in managing admissions to affected wards or bays (National Infection Prevention and Control Manual for Scotland (https://www.nipcm.hps.scot.nhs.uk/about-the-manual/)).
- The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 reinforces the clinical authority of nurses by ensuring registered nurses have sufficient seniority and authority to make clinical decisions including admission and placement decisions during infection outbreaks (Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2019/6)).
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedSection 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.
Published Evidence
Published assessments of progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.
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.