Hospital aims to cut infections with “bare below the elbow” drive

Mar 10 2008 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

PATIENTS entering Wirral University Teaching Hospital should expect to find staff “bare below the elbows” in a new drive to tackle infections.

From today, managers at the hospital have said patients should expect staff directly involved in their care to wear short-sleeved uniforms or garments with rolled up sleeves.

The move is part of a range of measures at the Trust, which manages Arrowe Park and Clatterbridge hospitals, to reduce cases of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) and MRSA.

Dr John Cunniffe, Director of Infection Prevention and Control, said: “Healthcare-associated infections are of great concern to patients and their families.

“Bare arms are a highly visible signal that our staff are able to clean their hands and wrists thoroughly prior to undertaking clinical care.”

The campaign will also see the Trust’s infection control team encouraging staff and visitors to test how well they wash their hands by placing them under an ultra-violet “glow germ box”.

The campaign comes at the same time as it takes part in the national Deep Clean programme.