NHS trust invited to review sharps regulations

Safety & Health Practitioner

An NHS Trust has been invited to take part in the Health and Safety Executive’s review of the sharps regulations, after it became one of four trusts out of 40 across the UK to comply with the regulations.

A sharps injury is an incident which causes a needle, blade (such as scalpel) or other medical instrument to penetrate the skin. The HSE inspection programme assessed how NHS organisations identify, manage and protect staff from the risks of exposure from blood borne viruses caused by sharps injuries.

Inspectors observed practices and questioned staff across West Hertfortshire Hospitals NHS. The HSE reported that they didn’t identify any common breaches with sharps legislation.

Health and safety breaches were identified in 90% of the organisations visited, 83% failed to fully comply with the sharps regulations and improvement notices were issued to 45%.

Kevin Howell, Director of Environment, at West Hertfortshire Hospitals NHS said: “This remarkable achievement is a real testament to our staff working across our three hospital sites. I regularly witness our fantastic staff demonstrating our values – commitment, care and quality – when caring not only for their patients but colleagues as well. I would like to congratulate them on their outstanding efforts.”

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