Helping to keep patients safe

Preventing and controlling infection in hospitals is very important.

Please help us keep everyone safe by following these safety instructions.

Infection prevention and control

If family members/visitors are unwell with symptoms of coronavirus, or a "tummy bug", or have been in contact with anyone with as COVID-19, measles, mumps, rubella or chickenpox in the last three weeks, please do not visit the hospital unless you have been cleared as per Public Health guidance.

If you are unsure, please telephone your child’s ward before coming in to see your child.

Hand hygiene

Germs are invisible and are usually passed from one person to another through direct contact, for example, germs on hands after sneezing and touching another person or germs on your hands after touching a contaminated surface.

Play your part to help prevent the spread of infection by knowing how and when to wash your hands.

You can use alcohol hand gel to clean your hands if soap and water are not available.

When should you clean your hands?

Examples of when to clean your hands are (but not limited to):

Before:

Entering or leaving the hospital
Entering or leaving a ward
Leaving your child's bed space
Eating or preparing food

After:

Coughing or sneezing
Wiping you or your child's nose
Using the toilet
Changing a nappy

To help stop the spread of infection we ask all patients, visitors and staff entering or leaving the wards and departments to use the hand hygiene gel (alcohol gel).

Apply this by:

squirting gel onto the hands
massaging it in like hand cream for 20 seconds and
allowing it to dry naturally

There are hand hygiene gel dispensers throughout the hospital. If you do not see any, if they are empty or you are unsure, please ask a member of staff.

Helping to keep patients safe

Infection prevention and control

Hand hygiene

When should you clean your hands?

Editorial Information