Hospital’s concierge lends a helping hand (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Hospital’s concierge lends a helping hand

10:25am Tuesday 28th August 2007 in Local By Emily-Ann Elliott

VISITORS to Basingstoke hospital will be personally reminded to wash their hands when they arrive and depart.

Hospital chiefs have employed a concierge to assist people and to ensure the hospital stays on top of its infection control.

Dave Hicks, who also works as a porter at the hospital, has taken on the role for a two-month trial period.

Mary Edwards, the hospital's chief executive, said: "The idea is that Dave is here to help people. He can offer help with things like wheelchairs and also remind people to use the alcohol spray gel, both on their way in and out.

"I think that is an important message, that it needs to be used on the way out as well as, in hospitals, there are patients with infections."

Mr Hicks said: "A lot of people do not know that they are supposed to spray their hands on the way out, so I just remind them and most people are okay about it.

"I think visitors are getting used to seeing me now and it's nice to be able to help them out."

The new service is one of a number of initiatives the hospital has recently undertaken to continue to keep cases of hospital-acquired infections as low as possible.

These have included a deep clean of the E and F medical floors, which involved cleaning every ward from top to bottom and washing every piece of equipment.

Large red stop signs have also been placed across the entrance of C floor, the hospital's surgical floor, to remind people to wash their hands.