NHS staff in Gwent are helping to drive fundamental changes in patient care, say the organisers of a national healthcare campaign.

The 1,000 Lives campaign, launched in April last year, aims to prevent 1,000 unnecessary deaths and 50,000 episodes of harm across Wales, focusing on six issues.

And following a recent visit to Gwent, 1,000 Lives campaign co-director Dr Jonathon Gray, has told Aneurin Bevan Health Board bosses its campaign teams are "really leading the way on a number of significant issues."

Improving leadership on quality matters, reducing healthcare associated infections, improving critical care, improving medicines management, reducing surgical complications, and improving general and surgical ward care are the aims of the 1,000 Lives campaign.

In Gwent, an intensive hand hygiene programme has been brought in, now taking in 28 wards at the Royal Gwent and nine at Nevill Hall Hospital.

Though it is only one aspect of the fight against infection, as the project has developed, the number of days between MRSA cases at each hospital is increasing.

Critical care units at both hospitals are having success too, particularly in tackling central catheter line infection. These have been "virtually eliminated" according to a board report, through the introduction of a number of small checks.

Such infections were previously considered a regrettable complication of treatment through a central line, but are now seen as an adverse event, to be investigated and prevented wherever possible.

In the final six months of the campaign, work in Gwent will include the introduction of new risk assessment procedures, for patients being treated with blood thinning drug warfarin, and to try to cut DVT (deep vein thrombosis) risks following surgery.

Improving services for patients with chronic heart failure is also a priority.