Tackling Health Care Associated Infections (HCAI) is a hot topic at the moment and here at the Trust we’re doing something about it.

We are now implementing the award-winning “cleanyourhands campaign”, which aims to improve the hand hygiene of our staff and reduce HCAI. The “cleanyourhands campaign” focuses on the hand hygiene of staff as this is where the greatest impact can be made in preventing the spread of infection. Hands are the main way in which infections are spread so if staff clean their hands before and after touching a service users then we can help prevent infections spreading.

Service users play a key role in supporting the campaign and our improvement efforts, but it is the hand hygiene of staff that is important with regard to stopping the spread of HCAI. Service users and visitors tend not to touch service users in susceptible areas of their body and are then even less likely to touch another service users in the same way!

However, the campaign does encourage service users to feel comfortable reminding staff if they think they’ve forgotten to clean their hands, using the phrase ‘It’s OK to ask’ on some materials. Infections are a real concern for service users, espcecially among older people, or people who self-harm, and not talking about it won’t make them worry any less. Our staff will be providing leaflets and putting up posters as part of the campaign and will be talking to service users and carers about why hand hygiene is so important and what we’re doing as part of the campaign to improve it.

As part of the campaign, staff will be encouraged to use new soap dispensers as a quick and effective means of cleaning their hands. Soap and water are essential when hands are visibly soiled or caring for someone who is susceptible to infection.

HCAI are estimated to cost 5000 patients their lives and the NHS £1 billion a year. They cause unnecessary suffering and anxiety, and may cause disability or death. Although not all of these infections are preventable, many are.

Such infections include bloodstream infections, surgical site infections, urinary tract infections and chest infections. Many of the microorganisms that cause such infections can be transmitted on the hands of healthcare workers.

Every human being carries huge numbers of microorganisms; even people who have no obvious infection will be carrying microorganisms, which can be transferred on the hands of staff from one person to another and may, once transmitted, cause an infection.

Combating cross-infection

Minimising the risks of infection to patients depends on a range of factors; hand hygiene is one important component in the battle against cross-infection. However, just by increasing hand hygiene alone you can dramatically reduce the risk of a service user acquiring an infection. This is supported by scientific evidence, not just opinion, which demonstrates that the bacteria that cause HCAI are most frequently spread from one service user to another on the hands of healthcare workers.

Look out for updated news on the campaign and what’s been done within the Trust here on our website.

Training video - an introduction to hand hygiene

The National Patient Safety Agency has produced a training video on its website that addresses when, where, how and why healthcare workers, service users and visitors should clean their hands. To access the videos, click here

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