The infection control team at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals has joined forces with the Trust's Patient and Public Involvement Forum to highlight the importance of good hand hygiene.

Representatives from both groups spent the week in the main foyer at the Royal Cornwall Hospital armed with bug busting hand gels and ultraviolet light equipment that can show how well hands are washed.

Infection control practice educator, Jan Varney, said: "We got a really terrific response. Patients and visitors were happy to stop and find out more and many were really surprised by what they saw when they thought they'd cleaned their hands thoroughly. There's much more to thorough hand washing than many people realise and there's a real technique to making sure no areas are missed."

Mary Figg chairman of the Patients' Forum said: "This is an initiative we were really keen to support. Hand hygiene is one of the Forum's top priorities in helping to play a part to minimise the risk of hospital acquired infection and it's just as important that patients and visitors take part as it is for the staff. What was especially encouraging was to see so many parents getting their children involved; if we can instil good hand hygiene from a young age then hopefully they'll carry that through to adult life, too."

As well as the gel and UV equipment, the infection control team also put on a poster display showing some of the many bacteria that can be found on the hands.

Jan added: "Just being in such a prominent location was a great reminder for our staff, too. Hand washing is a front line defence in infection control and all our clinical staff, no matter what their role or status, should never be too busy to clean their hands thoroughly between treating one patient and another. Staff across the Trust are happy to be challenged and we want to openly encourage our patients to ask who ever is treating them if they have cleaned their hands."