Using the slogan, ‘It’s OK to ask,’ the pilot campaign was launched in late 2003 in six NHS Trusts; in a further three, patient-only consultation was undertaken.
Responsibility for campaign materials was devolved to those working at each of these ‘local points’, eliminating the risk that a delivery of materials destined for an entire hospital might languish in supplies.
Patient literature was also produced to raise awareness of HCAI and to encourage patients to ask staff if they had cleaned their hands. Meanwhile, staff were issued with enamel badges, and stickers and aprons carrying the campaign logo ‘It’s OK to ask’. Ready Steady Go, a preparation and implementation guide for those responsible for leading the campaign in each Trust, was also produced.
‘The entire campaign was delivered at no financial cost to Trusts, and because we produced the materials centrally, the unit cost was very low - less than a penny per bed per day,’ says Teague.
During the pilot campaign, staff were surveyed twice and a patient survey and interviews were also undertaken. The individual responsible for local infection control in each Trust kept a campaign diary and activity log. Meanwhile, hand hygiene practices and the use of alcohol rubs were observed. The amount of handrub used was also monitored.
Among staff, around 90% said the posters made them think about their own hand cleaning; 40% said they were asked by patients if they had cleaned their hands, and most said they felt comfortable with this. Among patients, 71% believed it was right that they should be involved in supporting staff to improve hand hygiene.
Research also showed that if replicated nationally, the improvements in hand hygiene made by the campaign could save 450 lives and the NHS, £140 million a year. It was calculated that even a single-figure percentage improvement in hand hygiene would make the implementation of a national campaign cost-effective.
Actual evidence of infection reduction, however, would depend on sustained improvement. So it was agreed that the campaign would be rolled out nationally in 172 Trusts across England and Wales.
The national clean your hands campaign began in October 2004 and will run until 2008, driven and managed by the NPSA and integrated into the national HCAI programmes of the Department of Health in England and the Welsh Assembly Government in Wales.
An independent research project, funded by the Patient Safety Research Programme of the Department of Health, will measure the ongoing impact and effectiveness of the campaign.
