Posted: 20-Jul-2006 << BACK
European Parliament approves needlestick protection report, Wednesday 19 July 2006
The Safer Needles Network is delighted that the European Parliament has today voted to approve a report which will require the European Commission to bring forward a legislative proposal within three months to prevent needlestick injuries. It is estimated that there are more than one million preventable needlestick injuries in the EU, of which 100,000 occur in the NHS each year.
The vast majority of these injuries will be prevented by making available safety engineered devices to all healthcare workers and education and training in preventative measures and safer working practices. Otherwise, healthcare workers in the UK and Europe will continue to be at risk of contracting deadly diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C. Four healthcare workers in the UK have died from occupational exposure to HIV as a result of a needlestick injury and in the latest figures from the UK Health Protection Agency six healthcare workers contracted Hepatitis C due to needlestick injury in the twelve months to June 2004.
Dr Paul Grime, Chair of the Safer Needles Network, said: "We welcome the fact that the European Commission will now provide a legislative requirement for healthcare workers to use safety devices and to improve their working practices to prevent needlestick injuries happening. This will have a significant impact on protecting UK healthcare workers from the risk of contracting HIV and Hepatitis C and we urge the Commission to implement the legislation as soon as possible."
The Safer Needles Network
The membership of the Safer Needles Network is drawn from the organisations that represent health care workers, such as trade unions and professional organisations, individual clinicians with expertise in this area and manufacturers of the different technologies.
The Network is leading efforts to find reliable data on the incidence of, and reasons for, needlestick injuries. The intention is for the Network to become a recognised authority and resource in the UK for those requiring information about needlestick injuries and their reduction and prevention.
The Safer Needles Network aims to minimise the number of needlestick injuries.
This is to be achieved by promoting preventive measures and safer systems of working such as improved training and education, use of standard (universal) precautions, the provision of safer needles and safe disposal of sharps.
The Network's principal objective is to facilitate implementation and compliance with the national guidance issued by NHS Employers on the management of needlestick injury*. It will achieve this by:
- continuing to raise awareness of the risks from needlestick injuries;
- informing and influencing key stakeholders;
- maintaining relationships with those bodies which have a duty of care for employees in the NHS; and
- monitoring the effectiveness of the guidance in achieving the aims of the Network.
The Network will seek to achieve a significant reduction in blood and body-fluid exposures so that by 2008 at least 90% of NHS Trusts can demonstrate compliance with the guidance by measuring the implementation of proper surveillance and reporting procedures, training and education and the availability of safety devices
For further information please contact Ian Lindsley on Tel: +44 (0) 20 7256 8912 or 07887 681561
