How we helped Mitie implement a colour-coded hand hygiene system at NHS Lister Hospital
With the help of Mitie Healthcare, Lister Hospital have welcomed a full and successful installation of SC Johnson Professional hand soaps, sanitisers, and creams.
Since 1987, Mitie’s 68,000 employees have been maintaining companies globally. Mitie are the UK’s leading facilities management and professional services company, and their clients range from household names in banking, critical government sites as well as hospitals and schools. Mitie have been providing Facilities Management Services for cleaning and Waste Management at East and North Herts NHS Trust including Lister Hospital in Hertfordshire since May 2021. Serving Hertfordshire and South Bedfordshire with 566 available beds, Lister Hospital required a solution that could support hand hygiene best practice for both staff and patients in a fast-paced healthcare environment.
SC Johnson Professional were recommended by the Facilities Management Team at Mitie Healthcare who cited a reliable brand name, cost-effective product and quality service – following installations to sister NHS Trust facilities.
For Lister Hospital, the installation was successful in providing a reliable and efficient 3 step hand hygiene system, along with ongoing skin care training, guidance, and support.
DID YOU KNOW?
Healthcare workers are among those most likely to develop occupational skin disorders. 1
Moisturising creams can help your staff to maintain good skin condition.
When it comes to infection prevention, hand hygiene is recognised as one of the first lines of defence; one of the primary modes of infection transmission is via the hands.2
What problems had Lister Hospital been facing?
Obtaining supply was a core issue for the Mitie Healthcare Team, both during and following the Covid-19 pandemic. To summarise:
- Products were frequently out of stock during the ordering process.
- This meant that the hospital was often left ‘rationing’ available product.
- Sister Trusts used different products, which caused difficulty when borrowing.
To support the health of both staff and patients, Lister Hospital required a reliable, effective, and commercially viable alternative product and delivery.
Our hand hygiene solution
SC Johnson Professional’s 3 step Cutan® range was chosen to suit the needs of Lister Hospital’s high-frequency washing environment.
The range includes washing, sanitising, and moisturising products. When used as part of a 3 step programme, this combination can help reduce the spread of germs and maintain good skin health through proper conditioning.
Dispenser systems are available in wall-mounted, bed end and trolley mount options. This helps to ensure that staff can use the right product at the right time, helping them to do their job quickly and safely. Colour coding means that staff can instantly identify the product they need.
How straightforward was the installation process?
Lack of storage within the hospital was identified as a potential difficulty, which meant that the installation required seamless project management. Once the green light was received, the SC Johnson Professional team were involved in several meetings with both the Mitie Healthcare Team and Lister Hospital’s Estates and Facilities Departments. Here, the team organised gradual supplies of dispensers in batches, fitting the hospital area-by-area without infringing on daily operations. During the installation, the SC Johnson Professional team routinely shared progress with service provider Mitie Healthcare and provided weekly updates to Lister Hospital’s facilities team.
How has Lister Hospital’s new 3 step hand hygiene system been received?
With generic white dispensers previously installed, both Lister Hospital and Mitie were impressed by the idea of colour-coded dispensers – with red for hand sanitiser, blue for hand soap and green for moisturising cream.
The distinct colours mean that products are now easily identifiable to identify for healthcare staff in a fast-moving environment.
A clear 3 step hand hygiene system - paired with best practice diagrams – reduces the transfer of germs from equipment, to surfaces, to colleagues and patients, whilst moisturising creams aid in protecting busy staff against common occupational skin disorders.1
The children’s dispenser was particularly well received. The colourful design was noted to have made hand washing more attractive, whilst the 7 step diagram helps to educate younger people on key hand washing steps.
What has been important to both teams since the installation?
Pre-installation, the Lister Hospital team welcomed SC Johnson Professional’s product showcase sessions – giving the Trust the opportunity to explore the range before fitting began.
Following the installation, support was continued via drop-in training sessions delivered to hospital staff, which helped to reinforce education on hand hygiene best practice.
Liaison with the hospital’s infection control team helps to ensure product support is readily available on the wards, alongside product information sheets and further educational materials.
Both Lister Hospital and Mitie were pleased with availability of SC Johnson Professional product, with supply issues no longer posing a problem to the Trust’s daily operations.
Our Cutan® range has been developed to match three key steps of a hand hygiene programme - washing, sanitising and moisturising - and is formulated especially for high frequency use environments.
1. Soltanipoor, M, Kezic, S, Sluiter, JK, et al. Effectiveness of a skin care programme for the prevention of contact dermatitis in healthcare workers (the Healthy Hands Project): A single-centre, cluster randomized controlled trial. Contact Dermatitis. 2019; 80: 365– 373. https://doi.org/10.1111/cod.13214 2. https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/health-strategies/flu-pneumonia/interventions/environmental-support.html https://www.ifh-homehygiene. org/books/simple-guide-healthy-living-germy-world/module-8-developing-right-sort-hygiene/some-examples
