The Patient Safety and Quality Forum at Noble’s Hospital will on Monday bring to a close their third Hand Hygiene Campaign, ‘Keep ‘em Clean’ which saw ‘Don’t Be Shy – Wash and Dry’ as this year’s slogan. The Patient Safety and Quality Forum was setup to look at issues in Noble’s Hospital from the patient’s perspective. The campaign ran for a week and various activities were organised for patients, staff and visitors at Noble’s Hospital. The essence of the wider, ongoing campaign is to raise awareness of the importance of washing hands to prevent the spread of infection. In particular, the team is encouraging patients to become partners with healthcare staff in preventing infection within the hospital and to continue to strive towards keeping infection rates in the Isle of Man low. In addition, the awareness of the correct hand hygiene technique will be extremely valuable in helping people to protect themselves against infections such as the common cold, flu and norovirus. During the week long campaign, Patient and Public Representatives from the Patient Safety and Quality Forum visited wards and departments within Noble’s Hospital and talked to patients and visitors about their role in preventing infection whilst offering advice on hand hygiene. A hand hygiene crossword competition was also organised, which was open to patients, staff and visitors. The Noble’s Hospital Infection Control Team were on hand for patients, staff and visitors to discuss the importance of hand hygiene and how it helps in preventing many infections. Additional refresher training for staff took place in the staff restaurant, and a search is on to find the ‘cleanest hands in Noble’s Hospital’, with the winner to be announced at the closing event. Minister for Health, Mr David Anderson MHK, said “I am very pleased to be a part of the Keep ‘em Clean Campaign at Noble’s Hospital. Evidence shows us that hand washing is one of the most important ways for us to stop the spread of infection, both in the healthcare environment and outside it. Simple steps, such as just remembering to use the automatic hand-wash dispensers positioned at the entrance to each ward and throughout the hospital, makes a tremendous difference to fighting the spread of infection. We take this matter very seriously and I’m delighted to have been invited to highlight the good work this year’s campaign has achieved.” Many members of staff have signed up to the Hand Washing Champion Scheme; this includes their photographs being displayed on posters around the hospital, depicting them as role models for hand washing. Staff are also wearing badges on their uniforms to let patients know that ‘It’s OK to ask’ if a member of healthcare staff has washed their hands before touching them. This has been welcomed by staff and is seen as a step to encourage patients to ask staff if they have washed their hands. Maggie Meddings, a Patient and Public Representative who was involved organising in the campaign, said “It is very important that we get the message across to both patients and the public that keeping our hands clean is a very easy way for us all to protect ourselves from picking up and spreading infection. We hope that the Keep ‘em Clean Campaign and our activities will raise awareness in a fun and interesting way for children as well as adults.” - ENDS -