12 60 seconds with… Nina Bradley-Smith Junior sister and infection prevention control (IPC) champion on the surgical ward at CFH Why did you become an infection control champion? I suppose it’s just something that has always interested me and I’ve always been hot on people’s heels with hand hygiene and IPC in general. It’s important to make sure we are maintaining infection control standards. What do you think are the barriers to good IPC? At times of high workload, essential infection control practices can be unintentionally overlooked by staff. But we have regular training, education and feedback from audits is communicated to staff, so they are aware of how they are performing. It is important not to allow these standards to slip. If you observe someone hasn’t washed their hands or cleaned a piece of equipment after use you should always speak up. I absolutely feel confident to challenge any member of staff who is not adhering to the uniform policy, for example not being bare below the elbow in a clinical area. It should be the norm to do that whatever role you are in. Tell me about Clean to Care We have a new IPC campaign and we want everyone to get behind it. Working on a surgical ward we are perhaps more acutely aware of the potential risk of infection. It is the responsibility of every single member of staff to be accountable for infection control practices. When I’m talking to staff I ask how they would want a relative or loved one to be looked after. As we continue to work towards reducing the time people stay in hospital after their operations, making sure we are compliant with infection control is absolutely vital. Infection control saves lives. Do you think people sometimes don’t understand the consequences of not following IPC protocol? Exactly. This should be part of everyone’s day-today practice. The consequences of not cleaning your hands between patients could be incredibly serious. Longer stays in hospital, longer recovery, serious illness. Why would you put your patient through that? If you observe a member of staff who has overlooked a moment of hand hygiene challenge them politely. They might even thank you for it! What should everyone remember? If you’re working in a clinical setting you’ll be trained in the five moments for hand hygiene and I, along with my colleagues, carry out regular monthly audits on staff and the environment. Of course, there is so much more to infection control than just audits. But all the information you need is available on Freenet and the infection control policy. There’s no excuse for not doing it. What do you like doing away from work? I enjoy walking, exercise and spending time in my garden. My daughter is a keen swimmer and has a busy schedule with various swimming events so you’ll often find me helping out poolside at weekends. Taking care of your wellbeing Every day, our staff go above and beyond to care for our patients. • 24/7 helpline contact Optima Health on 0800 174319. The team are available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. It’s confidential and free • Contact the Samaritans (on 116 123), NHS Helpline (111) or your GP • Cost of living worries can have a huge impact on our mental health – visit our financial wellbeing page on Freenet • Visit Freenet for a range of resources, information and other wellbeing tips
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