A-Z Services - Infection Control - Visitors & Infection Control

The role of visitors in Infection Control at the RD&E

A short film has been produced in-house at the RD&E to advise on effective hand hygiene.

Joint Director of Infection Prevention & Control Judy Potter said: “people wash their hands far less than they should or say they do. Scientists believe that 80 per cent of germs could be spread by our hands coming into contact with many surfaces and other people. We hope this film reflects the importance we place oneveryone having effective hand hygiene to keep healthy.”

Members of the public are playing their part by responding positively to restricted visiting times which are from 2.30pm - 4.30pm and then 6pm until 8pm. The nurse or midwife in charge can advise you if there are visiting arrangements specific to a specialist area.

As part of the Cleaner Hospitals campaign, one of the reasons for introducing restricted visiting in most wards was to allow the housekeeping staff easier access to bed spaces for cleaning.

Staying in touch with family and friends is an important part of a patient’s treatment, recovery and overall wellbeing.

The RD&E expects visitors to follow some simple infection control advice to aid patient recovery:

Wash your hands before and after your ward visit using soap and water or hospital hand gel dispensers
Stay home if you have a cold, infection or stomach upset and only visit if you have had no symptoms for at least 48 hours
Keep children, especially babies, home because they are vulnerable to germs and infections brought into hospital
Use the chairs on wards, not beds