Infection Prevention

NHS Forth Valley is committed to the prevention and control of infection and our hygiene standards have been consistently high since the Government's Hand Hygiene Campaign began in 2007.

Our staff work very hard to achieve these standards but there are things that patients and visitors can do to help make a hospital stay as safe as possible.

• Think about keeping patients safe before you visit. If you are unwell especially if you have had diarrhoea, stay at home until you feel better. It is also advised that any wounds or cuts that you may have are covered with a waterproof dressing.
• Please consult ward staff about what you take in to patients. Some patients may be on a special diet.
• The most important thing you can do is to wash and dry your hands before visiting the ward, particularly after going to the toilet.
• Before entering the ward, clean your hands  with the alcohol gel provided at the ward door
• Never touch dressings, drips or other equipment around the bed.
• Always ask staff if you have any concerns. Members of staff can sometimes forget simple things like cleaning hands before examining or caring for a patient. No NHS worker should take offence at a gentle and polite reminder.

Our Achievements

• NHS Forth Valley is the top NHS Board on the Scottish mainland for hand washing amongst staff. They achieved a 97% success rate in May 2008 compared with a national average of 88%.

• Routine soap/alcohol rub and hand cream are available on every ward. All members of staff are offered hand washing training and a record is kept of all hand hygiene training sessions.

• Members of the Patient Panel have identified site for soap and alcohol rub and have been involved in spot checks for cleanliness which regularly take place throughout the hospital and are to a national standard.

• Latest figures show that Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary is 96.4% compliant and Stirling Royal Infirmary is 94.2% compliant with national cleaning standards.

• In a 2007 questionnaire 90.4% of outpatients thought the clinic area they attended was either very clean or fairly clean and 91.3% of patients thought it was either very tidy or fairly tidy.