Conducting a campaign to improve hand hygiene in non-acute health care

Abstract

In 2004 the National Patient Safety Agency launched the cleanyourhands campaign to improve hand hygiene in acute NHS trusts in England and Wales through the provision of near patient alcohol hand-rub combined with regularly refreshed prompts. Calls have been made since the campaign started for it to be extended to non-acute healthcare, but the diversity of services and settings in the non-acute sector presents many challenges to successful implementation.