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| Public urged to help in battle against infection - 3 April 2008 |
Public urged to help in battle against infection
Visitors to Belfast hospitals are being asked to help to keep infection under control by following four simple rules.
“Public support is a vital part of the battle against infection in hospitals”, said Dr Tony Stevens, Medical Director of the Belfast Trust. “ We have drawn up a four point plan which we are asking visitors and anyone else entering hospitals in the Belfast area to follow”, he added
“We are confident that if everyone coming into a Belfast hospitals follows these simple guidelines then, together with the measures our doctors, nurses and other hospital staff are taking, we can further improve the control of infection”, Dr Stevens said
Belfast Trust is asking that everyone entering a hospital
• to clean their hands before and after visiting a hospital ward
• not to visit if they feel unwell, have a cold, diarrhoea or vomiting
• not to bring perishable foods in to hospitals
• stick to the visiting times and the numbers of visitors allowed at one time.
Staff in Belfast hospitals are also continuing to play their part in the fight against infection. They are hoping that public involvement in helping to reduce infection risks will compliment a number of infection control measures which they are currently implementing, including:
• a new visiting policy which restricts visitors to two per patient at any one time,
• enhanced infection control arrangements to deal with infections
• regular enforcement of staff guidelines on hand washing and hygiene
• updating induction and ongoing infection control training for staff
• a review of policies on the prescribing of antibiotics, and
• new cleaning policies and procedures
The Belfast Trust’s new drive against infection includes the erection of a number of large exterior display boards urging people visiting hospitals to ‘Help keep infection under control’ by cleaning their hands before entering hospital wards. Posters and leaflets reinforcing the campaign’s four main messages will also be available throughout all Belfast hospitals from this week.