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When the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in the UK in March 2020, Professor Paul Elkington and a team at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) quickly developed a new form of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) called PeRSo (Personal Respirator Southampton) for hospital staff to use. PeRSo is a portable, wearable device which blows air through a HEPA filter into a hood, providing a high level of protection against respiratory infection. In this interview, Paul describes how, working with industry partners, his team was able to provide 3,500 members of staff at UHS with PeRSo during the pandemic. Describing the impact this had on staff morale and Covid infection rates, he explains why PeRSo is a preferable alternative to the FFP3 masks recommended by the Government during the pandemic. Paul outlines how, in the event of another pandemic, providing personal respirators would offer effective protection for healthcare workers and the wider population at relatively low cost. He also outlines what the Government needs to do to ensure the UK is prepared for future pandemics, including making changes to the regulatory framework and incentivising the development of personal respirators designed specifically for infection control. Further reading on the hub: A personal respirator to improve protection for healthcare workers treating Covid-19 (PeRSo) Powered respirators are effective, sustainable and cost-effective Personal Protective Equipment for SARS-CoV-2 Respiratory protective equipment: An unequal solution for healthcare workers? A blog by David Osborn "Forgotten heroes" – the sequel: a blog and resources from David Osborn

Can you think of a campaign that has really got your attention, stuck with you and made you do something differently? Claire Kilpatrick has been involved in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Hand Hygiene Day campaign since its launch 17 years ago. In this blog, Claire gives her thoughts around campaigning, explains this year's World Hand Hygiene Day slogan, 'it might be gloves, it’s always hand hygiene', and shares some of WHO's campaign resources. All the outreach activities for a successful campaign take time and effort, and often considerable resources. But if it works, it can work for a long time! Do you know what campaign activities actually expect to achieve? How do you evaluate the reach and impact of any of your campaign efforts? Campaigning can ultimately help make up people’s minds with regards to what they think, how they will act and how they will continue to sell the message in the long term. Ideas exist about how you can undertake annual campaign evaluations. And even if your campaign impact expectations are not met, it doesn't mean your campaigning efforts aren’t worth it. You might still persuade people to change, in some way, at some point. You don't always dash out and buy those new running shoes immediately after you see the ad, but you might in a couple of month’s time because you remembered them… But, if people feel bombarded with information it makes it harder for them to become informed. This makes succinct campaign messaging and clarity even more important, in order to achieve the desired impact. For 17 years, since its launch, I have been involved in WHO's World Hand Hygiene Day campaign, commemorated every 5 May. Working with communications experts and colleagues in regions and countries around the world, I have learned so much about the importance of messaging and was inspired to come up with this year’s slogan: it might be gloves, it’s always hand hygiene. Why this theme? Because: Medical gloves used in healthcare—disposable gloves used during medical procedures—can get contaminated as easily as bare hands and do not protect 100%. When worn, gloves should be removed, for example, after touching a wound site/non-intact skin, and hand hygiene performed immediately. But not everyone knows or practices this. Regardless of whether gloves are worn, hand hygiene—at the right times and in the right way—is still one of the most important measures to protect patients and health workers. By 2026, hand hygiene compliance monitoring and feedback should be established as a key national indicator, at the very least in all reference hospitals. Currently 68% of countries report they are doing this. Do all countries know this is a mandate to be achieved? Excessive glove use contributes significantly to the volume of healthcare waste and does not necessarily reduce transmission of germs. An average university hospital generates 1,634 tons of healthcare waste each year and this number is increasing 2 –3% per year (especially since Covid-19); wealthier countries generate more waste. Appropriate glove use and hand hygiene can help minimise this waste. Some country efforts are evident in this regard, but more needs to be done. And there are more facts available that you can use to explain these topics to your colleagues. The great news is, WHO provides a range of resources to help meet the World Hand Hygiene Day campaign goal—to bring people together and to maintain the profile of life saving infection prevention action. By providing these, WHO helps to cut down on the time, effort and materials that countries and healthcare facilities have to find to maintain their own campaign efforts. Essentially the campaign is nothing without local action, without you. So, for 5 May 2025, and for long term impact, here are some of things you could do: A campaign badge Use it in your email signature, in your socials, or you can even print it and make real badges/pins – show that you are always part of the campaign community. An advocacy slide Drop it in to your presentations. Posters Your own ready to use poster maker. Place these in your work areas. Aim to reach different target audiences. Personalise the posters and remember to change them over time to continue to get attention. Two-minute educational video Embed this new short video into your training sessions. In this eye-opening short story, follow two nurses—one who always practices hand hygiene at the right moments and another who relies on gloves. Spoiler: Gloves aren’t the hero here. Video background Use this as your backdrop for virtual meetings to maintain the campaign profile. Social media messages Use the WHO FAQs to create messages. Repost WHO’s social media messages around 5 May. Remember to use #handhygiene so we can have a socials takeover and have maximum reach. Idea for an engagement activity Start discussions in an informal way, for example, in wards or clinics when you visit, or advertise more formal sessions, maybe including treats! Use the WHO FAQs and then ensure that conversations are informed by actual staff experiences of glove use and hand hygiene. Consider how you will share copies of FAQs for ongoing reference. Improvement documents and tools To show impact over time, use the Hand Hygiene Self Assessment Framework alongside other infection prevention assessment tools. The results guide you to available improvement tools. One of the most popular resources on the WHO YouTube channel remains the 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene training video. Some of the most visited WHO web pages remain the how to handrub, how to handwash and 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene posters. Implementation is also key A guide to implementation for hand hygiene explains the necessary on-going commitment. WHO has a number of guides to implementation for different infection prevention topics, and I have just co-led on a new guide for implementing an infection prevention national action plan – to be launched by WHO in June. Global IPC community of practice Chat with people from around the globe to share and learn more on IPC. As the world of global health evolves, we will need to get even more creative, in both what we say and how we disseminate our messages. Partnerships might help this going forward. In a 2021 paper by Storr et al, they highlighted some considerations for the future around environmental cleaning and infection prevention, including combining advocacy efforts. They noted that “the current melee of global campaigns that countries are called on to be involved in may be resulting in competition and dilution of messages, rather than being complementary.” There is still a lot of buzz around hand hygiene, but I am grateful to be issuing this blog with Patient Safety Learning because the campaign is more than just hand hygiene and to continue to get attention we can do more together. But now that it’s 5 May, as my colleagues in the Global Handwashing Partnership say – all the best for clean hands! Further reading on the hub: Top picks: Nine resources about hand hygiene

By 2026, hand hygiene compliance monitoring and feedback should be established as a key national indicator, at the very least in all reference hospitals. Currently 68% of countries report they are doing this. World Hand Hygiene Day in 2025 coincides with the need for countries to rapidly consider implementation of the global action plan and monitoring framework on infection prevention and control (IPC) – supported by a guide to implementation – and the need to continue to improve IPC as demonstrated in the latest WHO IPC global report. Additionally, the WHO Framework for Action 2024-2030 focused on WASH, waste and electricity services highlights the need for universal safe access to ensure quality of care (linked to climate and health), including by integrating WASH and waste requirements into health system planning, programming, financing, implementation and monitoring, which can in part be supported by IPC efforts. Therefore, it is recognised that at this time countries and health care facilities should continue to highly prioritize optimal hand hygiene practices (using the appropriate technique and according to the WHO 5 Moments) alongside appropriate glove use, including through greater awareness and supported by IPC practitioners as part of an IPC team and programme. Objectives To highlight the IPC situation globally including the need for investment cases, and the impact of optimal hand hygiene practices (using the appropriate technique and according to the WHO 5 Moments) To highlight the need for on-going promotion of appropriate glove use, alongside hand hygiene action. To raise awareness of the environmental and climate impact of gloves on waste generation and management. To outline the role of hand hygiene within national IPC strategies, as well as standard operating procedures (SOPs) at facility level, according to the recommendations of the WHO global action plan and monitoring framework 2024-2030 and highlight a new WHO guide to implementation. To showcase how World Hand Hygiene Day plays a role in bringing people together and raising the profile of IPC improvement as one part of IPC national and health facility programmes. Register

Don't miss this insightful conversation with C-level executives Leah Binder, President and CEO of the Leapfrog Group and Devin Jopp, President and CEO of APIC. In this leadership conversation, they'll share their perspectives on how the new presidential administration presents both opportunities and challenges to advancing patient safety and infection prevention. Register

In a blog earlier this year, Patient Safety Learning’s Associate Director Claire Cox looked at how corridor care within the NHS is affecting safety culture and examined its implications for both healthcare professionals and patients. In this new blog, she turns her attention to the associated health and safety risks, questioning whether these are being properly addressed. Claire draws out key areas for consideration and suggests practical measures that can help protect patient safety in such challenging working environments.  In recent years, corridor care has become an unfortunate reality in many NHS hospitals across the UK. With hospitals operating over capacity, patients are often treated in corridors due to a lack of available beds. While this practice may provide temporary relief in overcrowded healthcare settings, it also introduces significant health and safety risks for patients, staff and visitors. What is corridor care? Corridor care is a term used to describe the practice of providing medical attention to patients in hallways or other non-designated clinical areas due to overcrowding or resource shortages. This is typically due to emergency departments being overwhelmed or a shortage of inpatient beds. Corridor care is no longer an exception—it has become the norm in many hospitals. A new report published in January by the Royal College of Nursing illustrated the prevalence of this, sharing the experiences of more than 5,000 nursing staff on corridor care in the UK.[1] [2] In February, the Royal College of Physicians published a snap survey of its members highlighting the prevalence of corridor care, with 78% of respondents having provided care in a temporary environment in the previous month.[3] Key health and safety risks of corridor care When speaking about the impact of corridor care, understandably our initial focus tends to be on its direct impact on the care of the patient and the staff member providing that care. However, a somewhat overlooked aspect of this is how it can impact on the wider health and safety of those working in, or using, healthcare facilities. This can manifest itself in a number of different ways: Infection control risks Corridors lack the necessary infection control measures—for example, hand washing facilities and appropriate waste disposal, including sharps—which increases the risk of hospital-acquired infections, such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile.[4] The inability to maintain appropriate isolation for infectious patients poses a serious public health concern.[5] Delayed emergency response Corridors are not equipped for life-saving interventions in emergencies. Delayed access to equipment, medication and clinical teams in a corridor setting can increase mortality and morbidity.[6] A lack of emergency call bell alarms may incur delays in receiving appropriate emergency help. Swift transfer of unwell patients is often made challenging due to obstacles obstructing a usually clear path. Emergency teams may find it difficult to locate the unwell patient in a corridor as there may be numerous ‘temporary escalation’ areas within the department. Obstruction and fire safety hazards Corridors crowded with trolleys, equipment and patients create obstructions that can impede fire evacuation routes. Fire doors may be left open to accommodate trolleys, compromising compartmentalisation and increasing the spread of fire and smoke. NHS Trusts are legally required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to ensure that escape routes remain unobstructed, which is often compromised by corridor care.[7] The London Fire Brigade recently highlighted these issues with their local hospitals, citing concerns about obstruction of fire escape routes, increased fire load in circulation spaces and delayed evacuation times in the event of an emergency.[8] Manual handling and staff safety Healthcare staff face increased manual handling risks while manoeuvring equipment and providing care in narrow corridors. This can lead to musculoskeletal disorders and workplace injuries, further exacerbating staff shortages.[9] The question is, are these risks being addressed? Risk assessments: A key to mitigation While some NHS Trusts have implemented risk assessment templates for corridor care, these are not yet standardised across the system. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommends that risk assessments for corridor care include: infection control protocols fire safety compliance manual handling risk reduction patient privacy and dignity measures emergency response protocols.[9] What about fire safety? Fire safety is one of the most pressing concerns associated with corridor care. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, NHS Trusts are required to ensure that: Escape routes remain clear at all times. Adequate fire risk assessments are conducted and updated regularly. Staff are trained in evacuation procedures, especially in high-risk areas like corridors.[7] Are Trusts compliant? While most Trusts have fire risk assessments in place, reports from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) indicate that compliance varies across the country. Some hospitals have been flagged for failing to adequately mitigate the fire risks associated with corridor care.[10] What measures can we take to protect patient safety? The below points offer some practical health and safety measures that can be put in place to help reduce risk: Fire risk management: Regular audits to ensure corridors are not overcrowded and escape routes remain clear. Patient identification and monitoring: Implementing digital systems to track patient location and their condition when placed in corridors. Enhanced infection control: Providing hand hygiene stations and maintaining isolation protocols even in corridor settings. Staff training and awareness: Ensuring staff are trained in dynamic risk assessments and evacuation procedures. Establishing escalation protocols: Creating clear guidelines on when to escalate corridor care situations to prevent patient harm. The need for systemic change Corridor care is a symptom of a healthcare system under immense pressure. While temporary risk mitigation measures can improve safety, long-term solutions require increased capacity, better resource allocation and investment in community-based care to prevent unnecessary admissions. If the current trend continues, addressing health and safety risks associated with corridor care must become a top priority to protect both patients and healthcare staff. Call to action Do you work in healthcare or health and safety? Your expertise can make a real difference! Share your corridor care risk assessments with Patient Safety Learning to help identify risks, prevent harm and improve outcomes for patients. Comment below (sign up first for free) or email [email protected]. References Royal College of Nursing. On the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis, 16 January 2025. Patient Safety Learning. Response to RCN report: On the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis, 17 January 2025. Royal College of Physicians. Doctors confirm ‘corridor care’ crisis as 80% forced to treat patients in unsafe spaces, 26 February 2025. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Infection Prevention and Control Quality Standard, 2014. London: NICE. Public Health England. Guidelines on Infection Prevention and Control, 2019. London: PHE. Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), 2021. Crowding and its Consequences: Policy Brief. London: RCEM. HM Government, 2005. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. London: The Stationery Office. London Fire Brigade. Letter to Trusts to review your Fire Risk Assessments, 17 February 2025. Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended), September 2016. London: HSE. Care Quality Commission (CQC). State of Care Report, September 2021. London: CQC. Related reading on the hub: How corridor care in the NHS is affecting safety culture: A blog by Claire Cox The crisis of corridor care in the NHS: patient safety concerns and incident reporting Response to RCN report: On the frontline of the UK’s corridor care crisis A nurse's response to the NHSE guidance on their principles for providing safe and good quality care in temporary escalation spaces A silent safety scandal: A nurse’s first-hand account of a corridor nursing shift

"Vaccines Explained" is a series of illustrated articles from the World Health Organization that describe how vaccines work, how they’re developed and distributed and how their safety is carefully monitored. Check the links below to learn more. How do vaccines work? What's in a vaccine? How are vaccines developed and produced? Ensuring vaccine safety Vaccine efficacy, effectiveness and protection How to talk about vaccines

To support the implementation of the National Patient Safety Plan of the Republic of North Macedonia, this handbook provides a structured framework using the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and focuses on six core intervention areas, including infection prevention, medication safety, surgical safety, safe birth practices, capacity strengthening, and error-reduction strategies. It emphasises stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation, risk management, and sustainability planning. By providing a clear roadmap, this initiative aims to foster a culture of patient safety and improve health-care quality in North Macedonia.

“It might be gloves, it’s always hand hygiene Warming up for World Hand Hygiene Day (5 May 2025)” Regardless of whether gloves are worn or not, hand hygiene at the right times and in the right way - is still one of the most important measures to protect those receiving care as well as health and care workers. Medical gloves used in health care are defined as disposable gloves used during medical procedures. These gloves can get contaminated as easily as bare hands and do not protect 100%. When worn, medical gloves should be removed, for example, after touching a patient, and hand hygiene performed as per the WHO 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene. Besides educating health and care workers on the appropriate use of gloves, as well as the WHO 5 Moments for hand hygiene, action should also be embedded clearly within national IPC strategies, as well as standard operating procedures (SOPs) at facility level, according to the recommendations of the WHO global action plan and monitoring framework 2024-2030. Objectives of the warming up webinar To discuss promotion and education of optimal hand hygiene practices (using the appropriate technique and according to the WHO 5 Moments) alongside the times for appropriate glove use within health care workflow. To outline the value of campaigning, as one part of hand hygiene improvement activities, and demonstrate how to maximise use of WHHD 2025 resources. To outline the environmental and climate impact of gloves on waste generation and management, especially when used inappropriately. To stimulate WHHD 2025 activities in the lead up to 5 May 2025. Register