We know the risk of contracting an infection while in hospital is a real worry to patients throughout the NHS. Reducing that risk to an absolute minimum is a top priority for Western Sussex Hospitals.
When you come into one of our hospitals, we want you to be reassured that we are doing everything we can to protect you from these bugs and that we are committed to achieving the highest standards of infection control.
We continue to introduce new initiatives to help combat infection and promote handwashing, which is the single most important factor in reducing risk to patients.
All our wards and departments are regularly ‘deep cleaned’ and their standards of cleanliness are constantly checked.
Alcohol gel and hand rub
Alcohol gel and hand rub is available throughout the hospitals, with signs, posters and ‘gel barriers’ all promoting their use.
- To use the alcohol hand rub, press the plunger in front of the dispenser once. Massage the alcohol rub over visibly clean hands until dry. If your hands are visibly dirty, please wash them with soap and warm water.
We employ a zero tolerance approach to poor hand hygiene, offer widespread training to staff and demand strict compliance with our infection control-focused dress and uniform policy.
All our hospitals are 100% compliant with Department of Health MRSA pre-operative screening policy, meaning we test all patients coming in for surgery to check if they are carrying MRSA bacteria, so we can tailor their treatment accordingly.
