Page updated 30 April 2007
Occupational Health - Protection of Patients
The commonest infections transmitted to patients from hospital staff are upper respiratory viral infection, staphylococci from skin sepsis or from carriage sites, streptococci from the throat, chicken pox and stool pathogens from infective diarrhoea.
All staff should be aware of their personal responsibility to report infectious illnesses such as diarrhoea, skin sepsis, sore throat to the Occupational Health Department. All staff should report sickness on return from travel abroad.
All staff in regular contact with patients should report all acute viral illnesses (e.g. chickenpox) in themselves or their close family contacts to their Head of Department and Occupational Health in order to ascertain the degree of risk to susceptible patients. The Head of Department has a responsibility to maintain confidentiality and should only discuss this matter with Occupational Health. Others may be involved in discussion about the Health Care worker only with the express consent of the worker, which should be noted in writing by Occupational Health.
Because of the risks of simple respiratory illness to marrow and stem cell recipients, staff with upper respiratory illness should be tested for virus infection and should not work with these patients while they are ill.
See Respiratory Viruses in Immunosuppressed Patients
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