More Romanian TV coverage:

Article in Romanian national newspaper: 


 Zalau: No rings, watches and nails painted to hospital staff May 27, 2011

ZALAU MSR representatives have taught doctors and nurses in Zalau how to wash their hands From now on medical staff Zalau County Emergency Hospital is no longer allowed to wear rings, watches, false nails or painted. These conditions will be included in a regulation will be applicable for a month now. This resolution is the result of the campaign "Save lives by washing your hands", initiated by the World Health Organization and implemented by the Foundation Salaj British Medical Support in Romania (MSR). In a press conference held today, representatives of the MSR, the hospital manager, Ioan Muresan, and doctors and nurses in hospital Zalău said that the campaign aimed to prevent nosocomial infections (hospital) by improving the hand washing technique. Using a device with ultraviolet hospital donated by the SRM, you can see how effective their hand washing health professionals. The result was that this operation is generally done as they should, remaining areas on the hands that keep germs that can be passed from one patient to another. A month hospital wards were available to implement what they learned in the campaign, and then will make an assessment of staff, as a competition between departments to see whether staff comply with this rule. "Washing hands is more important than dezinfectatul salons," says one representative MSR. The hospital is a specialized department for the prevention of nosocomial infections, which will deal with enforcement of this regulation and the evaluation results.

...More from Romania

Successful trip

Further to the previous post:

UK-based charity Medical Support in Romania has just returned from a successful trip, which was led by Carole Hallam, Assistant Director of Infection Control at the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary..........

"I have just got back from Romania after a very successful trip. I worked with the local infection control nurse to deliver a hand hygiene campaign in the hospital.

I want to say a big thank you on behalf of my Romanian colleagues, they were extremely pleased with the light box and it got well used during the week long campaign. The local TV came to film the use of the light box and then the national media became interested. Please see the clip below from one of the leading national TV news programme. 

The infection control nurses will continue to use the light box for further campaigns and for teaching sessions"

DaRo supports infection control in Romania

An infection control campaign in a deprived region of Romania has benefited from equipment donated by a UK manufacturer.

DaRo UV Systems has donated an ultraviolet hand hygiene inspection cabinet for use in training at the Zalau Emergency Hospital in May.

These cabinets are used in the NHS for training staff in effective hand hygiene practices. They have been credited with playing a major role in the reduction of healthcare-associated infections.

UK-based charity Medical Support in Romania will deliver the campaign, which will be led by Carole Hallam, Assistant Director of Infection Control at the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

Read more here: http://www.medtechbusiness.com/news/2011/04/DaRo-supports-infection-control-in-Romania

New study reveals hand hygiene compliance IS having an impact on hospital infection rates

IMPROVED hand hygiene among hospital staff is almost certain to be the major factor in the dramatic fall in healthcare associated infections (HCAIs), new research has found.

The DaRo Group, which manufactures hand hygiene inspection cabinets used by NHS organisations for staff training purposes, carried out indepth research over three months to assess the impact of improved hand hygiene practices in hospital settings.

Read more here: http://www.hesmagazine.co.uk/show.php?page=story&id=2092&story=2092

Connect survey unveils £2.6 billion ‘sickness’ cost

An independent survey amongst office workers has shown that the major cause of absence from work is colds and ‘flu and a major contributor to the spread of the infection at work is poor hand hygiene. But to date, the hand drying element is rarely referred to. Indeed the survey showed that whilst 87% of office employees thought hand washing was effective at controlling the spread of infection, only 13% thought hand drying had any contribution to make


Read more here:  http://www.cleaningmag.com/news/view/connect-survey-unveils-2.6-billion-sickness-cost/

Clean hands eliminates the superbugs, experts say so!

Improved hand hygiene amongst hospital staff is a major factor in the dramatic decline in healthcare associated infections.

The DaRo Group, manufacturers of hand hygiene inspection cabinets primarily used by NHS organizations for staff training purposes, carried out in-depth research over a period of 3 months to assess the impact of improved hand hygiene practices in hospital settings.


Read more here: http://www.healthcare-digital.com/sectors/hospitals/clean-hands-eliminates-superbugs-experts-say-so

Clean hands are killing the superbugs - press release

 

Clean hands are killing the superbug

Improved hand hygiene amongst hospital staff is almost certain to be the major factor in the dramatic fall in healthcare associated infections, new research has found.

The DaRo Group, which manufactures hand hygiene inspection cabinets used by NHS organisations for staff training purposes, carried out in-depth research over three months to assess the impact of improved hand hygiene practices in hospital settings.

The research included gathering important information and statistics from key agencies such as the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). It also involved engaging directly with a number of leading infection control experts.

Annette Jeanes, Consultant Nurse and Director of Infection Prevention and Control at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “In terms of reducing infections such as MRSA and C.diff improved hand hygiene has been the key. Microbiologists and infection control experts have known the importance of hand hygiene for many, many years. However, the real difficulty was changing the hearts and minds of people and getting them to take the issue seriously.

“In recent years patients, politicians and the press have become involved, which has helped to raise awareness of the issue. However, the fact levels of infections are now statistically measured and people are being held responsible for performance is the main reason for improved behaviour towards hand hygiene in hospitals and this had lead to a major reduction in infection rates.”

Dr Tony Elston, Consultant Microbiologist and Director of Infection Prevention and Control at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust said: “I would certainly agree that improved hand hygiene amongst hospital staff has been the principle reason for the reduction in MRSA rates and, along with a other measures, has played a vital role in helping to reduce a number of other infections such as C.diff.”

“In recent years HCAIs have been falling at a significant rate and it is no coincidence the reduction has happen after stringent hand hygiene improvements were introduced.

The DaRo UV Systems 'Glow Box'

“Hand hygiene for staff is extremely important. Our clinical staff now undergo vigorous hand hygiene training, which includes testing their hand washing competence under an ultra violet ‘glow box’ which highlights any bacteria which is left after the hand washing process.”

HPA figures show healthcare associated infections, such as MRSA and Colstridium Difficile have fallen dramatically since the NPSA launched the Clean Your Hands Campaign in 2004 – with the aim of improving hand hygiene amongst healthcare staff.

Between April 2004 and March 2010 MRSA rates in hospitals across England fell from 7,233 to 1,898. Similarly, cases Clostridium Difficile (C.diff) in hospitals in England have fallen from 55, 498 in to 25,604 in recent years.

Damon Goodyear, Managing Director of the DaRo Group, based in Sudbury, Suffolk, said: “We wanted this research to be a real fact finding mission. A lot of resources nationally have gone into raising the importance of hand hygiene to stop the spread of infection. However, what we haven’t seen is any report which shows how effective the improvements have been and how much of a role improved hand hygiene has played in terms of helping to reduce HCAIs.

“Our research, backed by the opinions of leading experts, clearly show improved hand hygiene amongst hospital staff is the major reason for the fall of HCAIs in hospital settings. We feel it is only right to make our findings public to ensure the importance of hand hygiene retains a high profile.”

Health experts across the UK, Europe and America now agree that improved hand hygiene has played a major role in reducing HCAIs and as a result in May 2010 the WHO launched the ‘Save lives, clean your hands campaign’ inviting hospital workers and healthcare professionals to actively promote hand hygiene to reduce infections. To date 11,500 healthcare facilities representing 6.5 million healthcare professionals have registered their commitment to the campaign.

Washing hands for 20 to 30 seconds according to NHS and WHO guidelines is known to significantly reduce risk of cross contamination, therefore reducing risk to patients becoming exposed to infections. Healthcare professionals should clean their hands before touching a patient, before a medical procedure, after being exposed to a patient’s body or body fluids, after touching a patient and after touching a patient’s surroundings.

“Although improved hand hygiene is helping to reduce HCAIs this is no time for complacency and there is still much more work to be done. Micro-organisms and viruses are becoming much more sophisticated and resistant so we have to keep ahead of the game. Although there is almost a 100% compliance with the national hand hygiene requirements in some organisations, many individuals still do not clean their hands properly and this is something which needs to improve,” added Annette Jeanes.

For more information of the hand hygiene inspections cabinets go to www.handinspection.co.uk

Daily Telegraph Article - Parents failing to teach children hand washing

Parents failing to teach children hand washing
Three-quarters of parents fail to remind their children to wash their hands before eating, a survey has found.

One in five don't tell them to wash their hands after going to the lavatory while one in 16 think teaching children basic hand-washing hygiene is the responsibility of schools.

Please click here for more.

Article in Suffolk Free Press February 3rd 2011

Inside Hospitals article "Clean hands are killing the superbugs"

Clean hands are killing the superbugs Daro UV SystemsChurchfield Road, Chilton Ind. Estate, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2YA Phone: 01787 370187 Fax: 01787 319924 www.handinspection.co.uk/   Picture right: Consultant Microbiologist Dr Tony Elston   Picture right: Damon Goodyear, Managing Director at the DaRo Group Improved hand hygiene amongst hospital staff is almost certain to be the major factor in the dramatic fall in healthcare associated infections, new research has found. The DaRo Group, which manufactures hand hygiene inspection cabinets used by NHS organisations for staff training purposes, carried out in-depth research over three months to assess the impact of improved hand hygiene practices in hospital settings. The research included gathering important information and statistics from key agencies such as the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). It also involved engaging directly with a number of leading infection control experts. Annette Jeanes, Consultant Nurse and Director of Infection Prevention and Control at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “In terms of reducing infections such as MRSA and C.diff improved hand hygiene has been the key. Microbiologists and infection control experts have known the importance of hand hygiene for many, many years. However, the real difficulty was changing the hearts and minds of people and getting them to take the issue seriously. “In recent years patients, politicians and the press have become involved, which has helped to raise awareness of the issue. However, the fact levels of infections are now statistically measured and people are being held responsible for performance is the main reason for improved behaviour towards hand hygiene in hospitals and this had lead to a major reduction in infection rates.” Dr Tony Elston, Consultant Microbiologist and Director of Infection Prevention and Control at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust said: “I would certainly agree that improved hand hygiene amongst hospital staff has been the principle reason for the reduction in MRSA rates and, along with a other measures, has played a vital role in helping to reduce a number of other infections such as C.diff. “In recent years HCAIs have been falling at a significant rate and it is no coincidence the reduction has happen after stringent hand hygiene improvements were introduced. Hand hygiene for staff is extremely important. Our clinical staff now undergo vigorous hand hygiene training, which includes testing their hand washing competence under an ultra violet ‘glow box’ which highlights any bacteria which is left after the hand washing process.” HPA figures show healthcare associated infections, such as MRSA and Colstridium Difficile have fallen dramatically since the NPSA launched the Clean Your Hands Campaign in 2004 – with the aim of improving hand hygiene amongst healthcare staff. Between April 2004 and March 2010 MRSA rates in hospitals across England fell from 7,233 to 1,898. Similarly, cases Clostridium Difficile (C.diff) in hospitals in England have fallen from 55, 498 in to 25,604 in recent years. Damon Goodyear, Managing Director of the DaRo Group, based in Sudbury, Suffolk, said: “We wanted this research to be a real fact finding mission. A lot of resources nationally have gone into raising the importance of hand hygiene to stop the spread of infection. However, what we haven’t seen is any report which shows how effective the improvements have been and how much of a role improved hand hygiene has played in terms of helping to reduce HCAIs. “Our research, backed by the opinions of leading experts, clearly show improved hand hygiene amongst hospital staff is the major reason for the fall of HCAIs in hospital settings. We feel it is only right to make our findings public to ensure the importance of hand hygiene retains a high profile.” Health experts across the UK, Europe and America now agree that improved hand hygiene has played a major role in reducing HCAIs and as a result in May 2010 the WHO launched the ‘Save lives, clean your hands campaign’ inviting hospital workers and healthcare professionals to actively promote hand hygiene to reduce infections. To date 11,500 healthcare facilities representing 6.5 million healthcare professionals have registered their commitment to the campaign. Washing hands for 20 to 30 seconds according to NHS and WHO guidelines is known to significantly reduce risk of cross contamination, therefore reducing risk to patients becoming exposed to infections. Healthcare professionals should clean their hands before touching a patient, before a medical procedure, after being exposed to a patient’s body or body fluids, after touching a patient and after touching a patient’s surroundings. “Although improved hand hygiene is helping to reduce HCAIs this is no time for complacency and there is still much more work to be done. Micro-organisms and viruses are becoming much more sophisticated and resistant so we have to keep ahead of the game. Although there is almost a 100% compliance with the national hand hygiene requirements in some organisations, many individuals still do not clean their hands properly and this is something which needs to improve,” added Annette Jeanes. For more information of the hand hygiene inspections cabinets go to www.handinspection.co.uk

 Full article is availible here: http://www.inside-hospitals.co.uk/x-features/infection%20control/daro%20group.html

Noth Yorkshire and York NHS handwashing campaign.

Noth Yorkshire and York NHS have launched a campagn to reduce illness using the six steps of good handwashing.Please click here for more information: http://www.northyorkshireandyork.nhs.uk/AdviceInformation/HandWashingPublic/index.htm

Article East Anglian Daily Times 19th January 2011

Click on the image for larger size

Article in the East Anglian Daily Times 25th January 2011

Click on the image for larger size

Hand hygiene on Radio Suffolk

Last Friday we did a piece for BBC Radio suffolk in conjunction with Yorley Barn Nurseries. DaRo UV Systems donated a Hand Inspection Cabinet to Yorley Barn Nurseries in order to highlight the importance of correct hand washing for children and staff.

Blog

The DaRo UV Hand Inspection Cabinet

Blog: I have decided to keep a blog so that people can follow and keep up to date with the our developments in the world of hand hygiene. Obviously this will be predominantly based on the developments that we have in our Hand Inspection Cabinet, but also to keep up with the news on Hand Hygiene