Portiuncula Hospital is one of three hospitals nationally to participate in the HSE’s ‘Hand Hygiene Train the Trainer’ and hand hygiene awareness programme (Resist ) which is aimed at all healthcare workers and everyone who comes to the hospital.
Resist is a new health service initiative to reduce infection and antimicrobial resistance in our health facilities. It is being introduced in hospitals and community services all over the country, backed by the HSE Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control programme (AMRIC ). The message for hospital staff is that cleaning your hands properly at the right time is one of the simplest things you can do to save you, your family and your co-workers from becoming ill and reducing the spread of illnesses such as tummy bugs, coughs, colds, and even superbugs.
Commenting James Keane General Manager Portiuncula University Hospital noted, “everyone in Portiuncula University Hospital is committed to reducing the spread of infection. We are delighted to be part of this new HSE awareness programme, Resist, which will further highlight the importance of hand hygiene thoroughly to prevent the spread of infection and protect patients, visitors and staff”.
To protect yourself from picking up an infection or superbug while you are in or visiting hospital, members of the public should clean their hands regularly and use the alcohol gel in the hospital; always clean hands after a visit to the toilet and before eating; do not share personal things with other patients – for example, phone or earphones; keep away from other patients’ beds; do not let anyone sit on hospital beds and do not sit on another patient’s bed; remind hospital staff to clean their hands and tell hospital staff if there is anything that is not clean.
