Multi Drug Resistant Organisms (MDRO) remain a threat to patient safety and continue to pose a challenge for Infection Prevention and Control practitioners.

An emerging MDRO discovered in 2009, Candida auris is still uncommon in New Zealand and is not restricted to the public healthcare environment. For a new hospital, with little experience of managing MDROs, and limited resources specific to C. auris, the recent care of a patient with C. auris required significant preparation and planning.

Before the patient was admitted, each department involved was provided with a clear plan of care, written procedures and education on specific precautions required. The patient was contacted and given information on the process for his visit. This preparation and communication ensured a successful outcome for both the hospital and the patient.

Learning from the preparation and process was invaluable for Kaweka Hospital and has resulted in process improvements and quality initiatives within the hospital. It has also initiated inter-hospital discussions about aligning our processes around MDRO screening and understanding and improving the communication and collaboration between the private and public healthcare systems.

This presentation shares the experience of a small private hospital, acknowledging the difficulties and highlighting the learning opportunities. The experience, and the positive outcomes, has the potential to provide valuable information to similar facilities should they face the same scenario.