Southampton Treatment Centre join worldwide colleagues to promote Hand Hygiene

Company news

May 10, 2010

On Wednesday 5th May, Southampton Treatment Centre joined hospitals and healthcare facilities across the world in marking the World Health Organization’s ‘5 Moments for Hand Hygiene’ day.

The day was established to raise the importance of the ‘5 Moments for Hand Hygiene’ approach, which defines the key moments when healthcare workers should perform hand hygiene.

Southampton Treatment Centre ran a ‘5 moments quiz’ for staff and patients at a display in their main reception, giving them the opportunity to show what they knew and also gain some additional knowledge on the importance of Hand Hygiene.  Over 60 people completed the quiz throughout the day, with the staff at the centre’s Inpatient ward completing the most entries, followed closely by Day ward and the Portering staff.

The Treatment Centre’s Infection Control and Prevention Nurse, Claire Evennett, led on the event and also visited each department throughout the day to show staff how well they were washing their hands with the help of an ultra violet glow box.  The Infection Control Links in each department also completed the WHO Moment 1 Observation Form.  This information will be entered onto the WHO website to help raise awareness worldwide of the importance of Moment 1 to protect the patient from germ transmission by health-care worker’s hands.

Claire said: “It’s great that we were able to contribute to the World Health Organization’s ‘5 moments’ day.  It’s vital that staff and patients recognise the importance of Hand Hygiene and from the results we received it’s evident they do.  We’re continually looking at new ways of informing staff on Infection Control and the part they play, and this is an example of the value these sorts of initiatives can have.”