Leeds Hospital becomes the only provider in Yorkshire to achieve international aseptic technique accreditation.

ANTT® is the internationally-recognised standardised clinical practice framework used variously in more than 30 countries and is rapidly expanding. It is a comprehensive set of tools used to help prevent infections in healthcare settings. 

According to ASAP, Aseptic technique is a term that is often used, but equally often misunderstood. Historically, because it has become quite a generic term, its teaching and applications have been a significant source of confusion and ambiguity.  Aseptic Non Touch Technique (ANTT®) on the other hand, is a contemporary and accurate descriptive standard for clinical practice, that provides a simple, efficient and safe universal approach to patient care. Through a novel concept of Key-Part and Key-Site Protection healthcare workers are taught to identify and protect the most important and critical parts and sites of any clinical procedure that must be performed aseptically. In any environment, for any clinical procedure the goal is always ASEPSIS (the absence of harmful bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that can cause an infection).

It is a regime which instils root and branch practices across a whole clinical organisation to further reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infection. It does this by providing guiding principles, clinical guidelines and frameworks for implementation, competency, compliance and good clinical governance.

Senior Sister Leianne Whitehead who was the driving force behind achieving the accreditation for Leeds Hospital said: “To achieve silver ANTT accreditation, over 50 staff at the Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital were trained in the principles of ANTT. We then carried out a hospital-wide audit, which involved observing aseptic techniques and assessing how safely they were being conducted. After reviewing equipment and practices we made changes where necessary.”

Hospital Director, Maria Robinson adds: “It’s taken a year of sheer hard work but to have achieved this rare accreditation for our hospital - it has truly paid off. I am very proud of what Leianne and our clinical teams to have achieved, it’s another fine example of our commitment and care to our patients here at Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital - well done to all involved."

In addition to a silver ANTT accreditation, Nuffield Health Leeds Hospital is the only hospital in the region to be rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission.

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