raising public awareness - campaigning for safer standards
supporting sufferers and dependants

Telephone: 07762 741114  /  01337 841098
email: INFO@MRSAACTIONUK.NET

SURF Workshop
20th May 2009
London

 

 

The day presented opportunities for participants to take part in looking at scenarios for research into healthcare associated infections and how SURF, under the umbrella of the HCAI network could support researchers, patients and patient groups in research.

  

Isabel Boyer, Lay Member on the Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection gave an interesting overview of what it is really like to be involved on a commissioning board with tips for effective user engagement.

 

Jean Cooper Moran, outlined active patient and public involvement and the work of the National Institute for Health Research Central Commissioning Facility.  This included an overview of the Research for Patient Benefit Programme which participants may wish to become involved in, this could be as assessors or commissioning research.

 

Graham Tanner led the last session to investigate a patient-led research submission, he had written a research question:  "To determine the levels and causes of Clostridium difficile in the community and identify precautions that patients can take to avoid infection and treatment improvements that can be applied across the health and social care sector"
SURF to determine:

Research title

Co-applicants (5)

Scientific summary

Aims of research

Potential impact

Lay/plain English (SURF members to prepare)

Identify ways of delivery

Background

Plan and methodology

Public & Patient Involvement (would be SURF members)

Project Management Team

Disseminate findings

Financial costings

Graham Tanner said community was defined as Care Homes, Residential Homes, Hospices and Respite Centres.  Sue Bennett said the research should involve people at home, Graham Tanner believed this was outside of the scope of the funding and sought clarification.  Maria Cann clarified that people at home would be in the scope of benefiting the NHS and therefore the funding, as care at home was funded by the PCT, in the same way Care Homes were, Care Homes were in fact people's homes.  Susan Bennett said other priorities had been discussed by SURF which included infections in catheters.  Susan outlined people with disabilities coping at home and in the community presented difficulties for those with dexterity problems and the design of catheters, risks of infection was a problem.  Graham Tanner said he had written the question as it fitted the criteria of Research for Benefit Programme, and there was limited time to get the proposal in.  August was the deadline to get a proposal logged onto the system.  Heather Loveday asked SURF members if submitting a patient-led proposal was something they wanted to do. 

 

Maria Cann said this was very worthwhile and agreed that there were other research priorities to consider.

 

Heather said there was a list of priorities that SURF members had previously devised to be considered.  Maria said this had included the routine use of cannula and IV lines and reasons why this was common practice, also research into the scale of infections in catheters and surgical site infections, and how Trusts used complaints about infections.  The scenario presented on surgical site infection research was a good one.  Graham Tanner said this was not the case as things had moved on since then.  Heather asked if we needed to move away from Clostridium difficile and MRSA.  Graham Tanner said we should consider klebsiella pneumonia as there had been an outbreak recently.  Olivia Freeman felt we needed to consider this in more depth and suggested on-line discussion.  It was agreed that the list of priorities be circulated for discussion prior to meeting again to decide on whether SURF members wished to present a patient-led proposal, and what other areas we should consider.

If you are looking for patients to peer review your research proposal or to become involved in your research into patient safety preventing, informing and education on healthcare infections then please contact us at info@mrsaactionuk.net or join the Healthcare Associated Infections Research Network.

 

Participants:

Dr Amani Alnimr	Royal Free & University College London
Sarah Jane Besser	Royal Free & University College London
Arlene Blanchard	National Institute for Health Research
Arthur Carasco	London Ambulance Service
Steve Edgar	National Institute for Health Research
Dr Vanya Gant	University College London Hospital
Professor Dinah Gould	City University
Professor Colin Gray and Hedieh Wojgani	Health and Care Research & Innovation Centre, University of Reading
Dr Nigel Klein	University College London Hospital
Dr Galena Duyumdzhieva	Health Protection Agency
David Matthews	University of Essex
Dr Wiesia Olszewska	Imperial College
Gabriel Perron	Imperial College
Dr Jacqui Prieto	Basingstoke & North Hampshire NHS Foundation Trust / University of Birmingham
Edward Taylor	Papworth Hospital
Presenters:
Isabel Boyer	Advisory Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection
Lucy Simons	INVOLVE
Jean Cooper Moran	Patient & Public Involvement, National Institute For Health Research Central Commissioning Facility
Dr Peter Harper	Senior Lecturer Research, Thames Valley University
Simon Jones	SURF Coordinator
Heather Loveday	Deputy Director, National HCAI Research Network
Meg Morse	Administrator, National HCAI Research Network
SURF core members:
Susan Bennett
Maria Cann
Olivia Freeman
Laura Probert
Graham Tanner

Summary of SURF Workshops held on 7th February 2008 and 13th May 2008