PHECC audits Pivate ambulances

maglite

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/private-ambulance-firms-fail-standards-inspection-2142585.html

Confidential report reveals shortcomings in staff training and security

INSPECTIONS of private ambulance firms have found that several failed to meet all of the training and security standards set by a statutory body, according to a confidential report.

There are as yet no standards for hygiene and infection control on private or voluntary ambulances.

sgthighway

I know that OMAC have hygiene & infection control standards/procedures relating to Ambulances. They are their own standards but I would imagine that they would be following direction from the Department of Health or meet their requirements.

ivabiggon

send some info over to the DFB aswell, cos some of their ambo are in a bad way

Elessar

The report makes an unproven claim about voluntary ambulances having no standards for hygiene or infection control?? They can't even back that up.

That is nonsense. OMAC does indeed have SOPs for infection control for it's vehicles and hygiene is one of the most common elements brought up in training. Not to mention being on the EMT syllabus.

Any of the private companies I have worked with (on placements) have indeed had stringent infection control measures in place also.

What are the standards for the statutory services?

rossi272

ivabiggon wrote: »

send some info over to the DFB aswell, cos some of their ambo are in a bad way

in fairness the ambulances aren't too bad considering they are the busiest in the country and any of them that I have worked on are thoroughly cleaned after any incident where cleaning is required.
i have heard of incidents on Lifeline ambulances where the driver is a trained first aider and the paramedic in the back has limited english due to being a foreign national so when it comes to giving a handover the driver hasn't a clue and the paramedic doesn't have enough english to talk to the nurse

ivabiggon

rossi272 wrote: »

in fairness the ambulances aren't too bad considering they are the busiest in the country and any of them that I have worked on are thoroughly cleaned after any incident where cleaning is required.

that not entirly true, there is no time in the daily roster in the fire brigade allocated to cleaning the ambulance, simply because there is no time?

ivabiggon

ivabiggon wrote: »

that not entirly true, there is no time in the daily roster in the fire brigade allocated to cleaning the ambulance, simply because there is no time?

I'm sure if the ambulance needs to be cleaned it will be cleaned. If not, you're talking crap. And if you travel in a medically unclean ambulance then you are not doing your job correctly.

rossi272

ivabiggon wrote: »

that not entirly true, there is no time in the daily roster in the fire brigade allocated to cleaning the ambulance, simply because there is no time?

Speaking from someone who works on the ambulance in DFB believe me there is no way I am going back on the road with an ambulance covered in blood or any other bodily fluids just cos there is a call waiting. First of all its dangerous and totally unprofessional but imagine the next call was to a member of your family and you ask them to sit on a seat covered in the previous patient's bodily fluids... cop on.:eek:

ivabiggon

rossi272 wrote: »

Speaking from someone who works on the ambulance in DFB believe me there is no way I am going back on the road with an ambulance covered in blood or any other bodily fluids just cos there is a call waiting. First of all its dangerous and totally unprofessional but imagine the next call was to a member of your family and you ask them to sit on a seat covered in the previous patient's bodily fluids... cop on.:eek:

i never said i didn't clean a ambo after contamination, but any of you here who work in the dfb know in there heart and sole that there are surfaces inside the back of the ambulance never get wipe, and are full of dust.... i can guarantee you if you went around all 12 beefers in the city and checked this i am confident you find some filthy surfaces, weather it's in a locker or on the trollley or around the window reveals inside the bin lids or bins take your pick.
the cosmetic and obvious areas... floors,handles,trolley matress would be cleaned regulary but over all i've only seen an ambulance valeted when it's sent of for major repairs.
it,s no reflection on the crew, just your not allowed to set aside 2 hours a week to go off the road and completely clean the vehicle without getting called.
sure those white reserve vehicles are a disgrace.
we should have a reserve beefer in each station loaded with all the basic gear and every week the regular ambulance taken off the road and valeted and just swap over the more specialist equipment.

maglite

rossi272 wrote: »

no way I am going back on the road with an ambulance covered in blood or any other bodily fluids

That and a clean ambulance are 2 different things. I was at a course in England a few years back when cultures were taken from you personal kit and inside a clean ambulance. While they were all visibly clean there was a substantial amount of bacteria and viruses on them.

While there may be an isolated few ambulances in the vols, I'm going to be pretty sure that there is almost 100% of them not clean enough. My own included. Sure you mop out the mud and wipe down the surfaces but when did you set a couple of hours to go a properly clean the thing.

miju

Elessar wrote: »

That is nonsense. OMAC does indeed have SOPs for infection control for it's vehicles and hygiene is one of the most common elements brought up in training. Not to mention being on the EMT syllabus.

Agreed 100% there are three different SOPs for infection control with OMAC for hands , vehicles & needles.

maglite wrote: »

While there may be an isolated few ambulances in the vols, I'm going to be pretty sure that there is almost 100% of them not clean enough. My own included. Sure you mop out the mud and wipe down the surfaces but when did you set a couple of hours to go a properly clean the thing.

Completely depends on how much our ambo is out but it could be cleaned / disinfected thoroughly weekly to monthly. It is kept a close eye on in our unit as it's usually me who does it, but some ambos are better tended to in some units than others I suppose.

paraletic

geoff king replied to the findings saying that phecc are NOT very concerned by the findings,
so whats the big deal?

but the indo said:
private ambo firms fail standards inspection etc etc

the newspaper artical seems to be a bit more dramatic than it should be!

i don't work for the privates,