Germs are most commonly spread by peoples’ hands.
Although you may think there is nothing to learn about washing your hands – many of us still get it wrong and continue to needlessly risk our own and others’ health. However, it is not difficult for you to protect your own, your family’s and your neighbours’ health by following some simple steps.
Although you may think there is nothing to learn about washing your hands – many of us still get it wrong and continue to needlessly risk our own and others’ health.
For the correct hand washing technique visit the “How to wash your hands” section of the Health Protection Scotland website.
We should wash our hands regularly each day, particularly:
- Before eating or touching food
- After using the toilet
- After blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing
- After touching animals
- After handling rubbish
- After changing a nappy
- Before and after touching a sick or injured person
- Before and after visiting a hospital ward.
Hospitals
For anyone visiting hospital, Scotland's chief medical and chief nursing officer has five top tips to help prevent infection:
- Think about keeping patients safe before you visit someone in hospital. If you, or someone you live with has a cold or diarrhoea, or if you feel unwell, try to stay away until you're better.
- Wash and dry your hands before visiting a hospital ward, particularly after going to the toilet. If there is alcohol hand gel provided at the ward door or at the bedside, use it.
- Ask ward staff for advice before you bring in food or drink for someone you are visiting in hospital.
- If you visit someone in hospital, don't sit on their bed and keep the number of visitors to a minimum at any one time. Never touch dressings, drips, or other equipment around the bed.
- If you think NHS premises are not as clean as they should be, let the Sister or Charge Nurse know. If you think a healthcare worker has forgotten to wash their hands, remind them about this.
Hand gel in hospitals
Within NHS Lanarkshire hospital wards, alcohol-based hand wash gel dispensers are available to help fight healthcare associated infection.
To use the alcohol hand gel:
- Press the front of the dispenser
- Massage the alcohol gel over visibly clean hands until dry
If your hands are visibly dirty please wash with soap and water.
Alcohol hand gel should be used in addition to proper hand washing, not as an alternative.