Tackling sepsis with effective hand washing
There are around 250,000 case of sepsis in the UK alone according to figures from the Sepsis Trust – yet “rarely highlighted” are strategies which help prevent outbreaks of the illness, according to a recent report on the Open Access Government website.
The issue has been raised by Chris Wakefield of GOJO Industries-Europe Ltd who raised concerns in the article that, despite increasing awareness regarding the condition around the globe, such as how difficult it is to diagnose and the fact that it accounts for 46,000 UK deaths a year, very little information is being distributed around the importance of hand hygiene compliance – and enabling it to be fulfilled effectively.
Why accessibility of hand washing facilities is so important
Effective hand hygiene is vital for everyone in any healthcare setting argues Mr. Wakefield, be it staff, visitors or patients – and he states that 25% percent of people don’t even wash their hands after using the toilet and that a further 46% don’t wash throughly enough for it to be effective. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of hand washing facilities at the time in and the place where they’re actually needed.
“It is particularly vital that there are adequate, appropriately positioned, hand hygiene facilities at the point of care.”
He is also a strong advocate of visual reminders, such as posters, being positioned in places when hand washing should take place.
How to wash your hands well
The Sepsis Alliance advises that hand washing needs to be done “properly” and “possibly more frequently” than most people do. The recommended technique is stated as:-
“Generally, to wash your hands well, you simply need to use running water (to help wash the debris from your hands), lather your hands well (making sure to rub between each finger and under your nails), and dry your hands thoroughly with a clean towel.”
Tackling sepsis through hand hygiene »
Teal Task Force: hand wash hire for medical facilities
The TEAL Task Force is a unique fast response service to deliver high quality hot water hand washing facilities on a next working day basis.
Fast delivery and setup – every Hygienius MediWash is sited and set up by trained TEAL Task Force staff. Each unit is delivered complete with a generous supply of liquid soap and paper towels.
Portable hand wash units by TEAL
The TEAL range of mobile sinks need surprisingly little water and includes the MediWash, Hygienius, ProWash, BigSynk, Super Stallette, TEALwash, Handeman Xtra, Compact Classic, KiddiWash Xtra, KiddiSynkand WashStand.