This year's theme for World Hand Hygiene Day is focused on recognizing that we can all add to a facility's climate or culture of safety and quality through cleaning our hands. 

A statement from the GHA follows below:

As part of a major global effort to improve hand hygiene in health care led by the World Health  Organisation, the GHA/ERS every year supports the ‘SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands’ campaign.  This is an annual global campaign which was launched in 2009, with subsequent campaigns each  year thereafter aiming to progress the goal of maintaining a global profile on the importance of  hand hygiene in health care and to ‘bring people together’ in support of hand hygiene. This event  happens annually on the 5th May. 

Infection Prevention and Control measures, including hand hygiene, are critical in healthcare, as  it lends to a practical and evidence-based approach to prevent healthcare acquired infections  across all levels of the healthcare system. This in turn improves the quality of care and safety to  our patients and the public. 

Hand Hygiene is one of the most effective actions used in healthcare to reduce the spread of  pathogens and prevent infections, including the COVID-19 virus. Hand hygiene is particularly  important for Healthcare Professionals such as nurses, doctors, allied healthcare professionals  and healthcare assistants who regularly come into close contact with patients. 

This year's theme for World Hand Hygiene Day, 5 May 2022, is focused on recognizing that we  can all add to a facility's climate or culture of safety and quality through cleaning our hands. But  also that a strong quality and safety culture will also encourage people to clean hands at the right  times by providing them with the right products to do this. The GHA slogan this year is “It’s OK to  ask if I have washed my hands”. 

In preparation for the 5th May, the Infection Prevention & Control team have been auditing hand  hygiene facilities within the GHA/ERS such as hand hygiene sinks, hand gels etc. They have also  been monitoring staffs practice, through observational hand washing audits and hand inspections  ensuring staff are adhering to ‘bare below the elbow’ policy. 

On the day, the Infection Prevention and Control team will be performing hand hygiene spot  checks - checking hands under ultraviolet light, in various areas of the GHA/ERS, handing out  stickers to those who perform the correct hand hygiene technique. They have also challenge staff knowledge of multi-resistant organisms by posing a Quiz called ‘Bugs of the Month’, offering  a prize to the top three correct answers. 

The Director General, Patrick Geoghegan, said: 'The past few years have very clearly  demonstrated the importance of hand hygiene. I am happy that the GHA will support this global  effort. Clean hands save lives. It is also important to recognise that COVID-19 has not gone away  and that one way in protecting our loved ones, vulnerable people and ourselves is to wash our  hands.'