Staff raise hand-washing concerns in Bristol hospital survey

Provision for hand-washing at hospitals in Bristol is not good enough, according to a staff survey by an NHS trust.

Almost half the workers at Bristol Royal Infirmary and St Michael's Hospital who contributed raised the concerns.

About 490 staff gave their opinions in the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust questionnaire.

The trust said it had responded by installing new alcohol gel dispensers.

A trust spokesperson said the trust is in the process of "implementing action plans to improve the experience of all staff in these areas".

Clearly-visible red and white dispensers will be located inside the entrances to wards and departments, the trust said.

Results of the survey showed 52% of staff said they felt hand-washing materials were always available to them, placing the trust in the bottom 20% of trusts in the UK. The national average is 66%.

The trust did however score highly compared to the national average on several criteria - like the number of workers feeling their work made a difference to patients, and people feeling able to contribute towards improvements.

The spokesperson said this was "pleasing" and added the survey "gives us a good indication of where we are doing well and where we need to focus more attention in the future."