In 2004 the National Patient Safety Agency launched the cleanyourhands campaign to improve hand hygiene in acute NHS trusts in England and Wales through the provision of near patient alcohol hand-rub combined with regularly refreshed prompts. Calls have been made since the campaign started for it to be extended to non-acute healthcare, but the diversity of services and settings in the non-acute sector presents many challenges to successful implementation.
National Patient Safety Agency. (2004) Patient safety alert 04: Clean hands help to save livesNational Patient Safety Agency: London. National Patient Safety Agency. (2006) To the community — and beyondNational Patient Safety Agency: London.
2.
Pratt RJ, Pellowe CM, Loveday HP, Robinson N., Smith GW and the epic guideline development team (2001) The epic project: developing national evidence-based guidelines for preventing healthcare-associated infectionsJournal of Hospital Infection48 (supplement): S1-82.
3.
Randle J., Clarke M., Storr J. (2006) Hand hygiene compliance in healthcare workersJournal of Hospital Infection64(3): 205-9. World Health Organization. ( 2006) WHO guidelines on hand hygiene in health care (advanced draft)World Health Organization: Geneva.
