The HSE’s Árd na nDéise and Grangemore mental health rehabilitation residential facilities have joined in the implementation of the HES’s national "RESIST" hand hygiene campaign.
The HSE Dublin and South East Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Nursing Team recently organised and promoted the RESIST Days. Two IPC Clinical Nurse Specialists attended the days to support and educate staff on Hand Hygiene and promote Anti-Microbial Resistance and Infection Control (AMRIC) and “RESIST”. Staff in Grangemore and Árd na nDéise, including nurses and student nurses, participated in the RESIST rollout on the day. Some service users also participated in a day of activities that included spot prizes, quizzes and distribution of promotional item, all of which added to a “buzz” for the day.
The extension of the RESIST campaign has been supported by the Assistant Director of Nursing John Fitzgerald, and the facilities’ own trained Infection Prevention and Control Link Practitioner Sara Navarro Gonzalez.
RESIST is a brand for a number of hand hygiene and infection prevention and control initiatives under the HSE Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control Programme (AMRIC). One of these initiatives is a rollout of the RESIST hand hygiene awareness programme. The programme promotes a combination of hand hygiene training with standardised national training materials. Hand hygiene has been at the forefront of all of the initiatives that the HSE has been implementing to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The RESIST campaign is to refresh our hand hygiene messages and to keep promoting the importance of clean hands.
Located on the grounds of St Otteran’s Hospital, Grangemore is an approved Mental Health Commission (MHC) centre providing continuing mental health care and rehabilitation to 14 residents. Árd na nDéise is a 14 bed rehabilitation and recovery residential facility in Cleaboy, Waterford.
John Fitzgerald (Assistant Director of Nursing, Waterford/Wexford Mental Health Services, HSE) says:
“Cleaning your hands properly, at the correct time, when delivering care to our residents/patients, is the most effective way to stop the spread of many infections, including COVID-19. When healthcare workers like doctors, nurses and carers keep their hands clean, they help prevent the spread of serious healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). These are infections that can happen in any healthcare service. The RESIST Day brings the AMRIC educational modules and Infection Prevention and Control training to the forefront of the service, with a positive result for all.”
“Grangemore and Árd na Deise both have excellent records in hand hygiene but we are always looking to improve our standards. The RESIST programme will help us to do that and we are delighted to have been selected to be part of the rollout in HSE Mental Health facilities and look forward to future hand hygiene promotional days in 2025".
Joining John, Sara, and all the team who attended Grangemore and Ard na nDeise for the launch in Waterford, Aimee Dever (Infection Control Specialist/Waterford, HSE) said:
"Staff, residents, and visitors all have a role to play to help stop the spread of Healthcare Associated Infections and join the superbug resistance. This programme will help each facility it is rolled out in to refresh and energise its hand hygiene approach, and our Link Practitioner and Infection Control Nurses will be supporting them to do that".
Last updated on: 25 / 10 / 2024
