Carmarthenshire County Council Joins Hand Hygiene Awareness Campaign

Each year, the Save Lives: Clean Your Hands campaign aims to maintain and promote the importance of good hand hygiene. This year, Carmarthenshire County Council, in collaboration with the Social Care and Health Protection Team and Hywel Dda University Health Board, is taking proactive steps to ensure this message reaches every corner of the community.

The Social Care and Health Protection Team, in collaboration with Hywel Dda University Health Board, is spearheading the promotion of this important day by engaging with Health and Social Care staff. Together, they are visiting and contributing to a variety of interactive activities at Local Authority and Private Care Homes during the week leading to May 5 to promote the day and raise awareness of good hand hygiene and its importance.

This initiative seamlessly complements the existing Health Protection Education and Training programme, including Hand Hygiene, underscoring the council’s commitment to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all.

As part of the campaign, officers will be stationed at each of the HWBs in Carmarthen on Wednesday, May 1; and Llanelli on Thursday, May 2, with informative displays, actively engaging with the public to emphasise the significance of proper hand hygiene.

The day will culminate in a competition for the best display board between the care homes to raise awareness of hand hygiene among residents, staff, and visitors. The winning display will be awarded a prize generously donated by Chris Thomas & Son Fruit & Vegetable Wholesalers Abergwili, Carmarthen.

In line with this year’s theme, “Promoting knowledge and capacity building of health and care workers through innovative and impactful training and education, on infection prevention and control, including hand hygiene,” our efforts are focused on empowering healthcare professionals with the tools and knowledge needed to combat the spread of infections effectively.

Hand hygiene remains the single most effective method to halt the transmission of infections. By sharing knowledge and fostering a culture of vigilance, we can collectively mitigate the risk of healthcare-associated infections, ensuring safer care for everyone involved.

4 tips to help you wash your hands correctly:

• Use soap to wash your hands but if there is no soap and water available use the hand sanitiser.

• Scrub your hands for the full 20-30 seconds remembering to clean every part of your hands.
• Dry your hands thoroughly as dry hands spread far fewer microorganisms than wet ones.
• Try not to touch your face – it is much harder than it sounds – if you do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth you are much less likely to get an infection.