As you come into our hospital you will hear a voice over reminding everyone to use the hand gels provided and to wash their hands. Alcohol hand gel is available on all wards, clinical areas and outpatient departments for use by staff, patients and visitors. We use highly visible posters to raise awareness of the importance of good hand hygiene by staff, patients and visitors. Hand hygiene is the most effective method of preventing the spread of infection.
Regular cleaning ensures that micro-organisms are not allowed to build up in the environment. Extra cleaning and disinfection is carried out if there is high risk of infection.
Hand hygiene audits and environmental hygiene audits are carried out regularly throughout the hospital.
We provide training to staff on hand hygiene and the principles of infection prevention & control. This training is provided to hospital staff on orientation to the hospital and through an ongoing education programme.
We have surveillance systems to monitor Healthcare Associated Infections (HCAI) which allow us to identify risks and implement control measures to prevent spread of infection to other patients.
Patients who have HCAI which could spread to other patients are isolated in single rooms whenever possible.
- Standard & Transmission Based Precautions
Hand hygiene and the wearing of protective clothing helps to prevent the transmission of infection.
Antibiotic Stewardship is the careful management of the way we use antibiotics to ensure prudent and effective antibiotic therapy. The way a hospital uses antibiotics can have an impact on antibiotic resistance. We carefully monitor our usage of antibiotics to ensure that they are used in the most effective way possible. Our Antibiotic Stewardship Programme also aims to make sure that we do not use antibiotics unnecessarily.
