arkon

And you base that statement on what exactly? From my hospital experiences in both countries I would say basic hygene is worse over here.

DunRoaminTheUK

Well, I'm going on personal experience also. I spent 3 days at my wife's bedside last year, when she was having minor surgery performed on her abdomen.

The following typifies my experience over that 3 day period and bear in mind that my wife was on a bowel ward.

Generally, in the entire 3 days only her consultant cleansed his hands with the Hydra-Gel. NOONE ELSE who attended to the patients in the ward cleansed their hands before or after touching patients, soiled dressings, drained bowel contents...ad nauseum.

BUT the single worst episode was when a nurse used the only available hand-washing basin in the ward to dispose of about 20 litres of stomach bile/puss from a patient who was recovering from a colostomy procedure. This simply beggared belief. It wasn't difficult to see why MRSA spreads so quickly (as well as other potential infections).

Also, there were two ladies in the ward (of a total of 8 people) that stated that they had previously contracted MRSA and they also described the topical circumstances leading up to the contracting of the virus.

So you see, I am going on actual experience and though I can't yet vouch for Australian hospital hygiene standards I can categorically state that UK hospitals are bordering on reckless.

tracey.d

Although I do agree that there are some wards that may be like that ours is certainly not. Visitors always complain at the amount of times they have to wash their hands. They have to wash them on entering the ward, alco-gel them prior to coming into the room and then wash them again when they enter the room! Every time they touch their baby they have to wash their hands before touching anything else in the rrom and then again before touching the baby.

It might sound a bit much but it works for us. It is a bit of a bugger for us nurses though when we go through the whole procedure and then realise we have forgottn to get something and have to go through it all again to get something as simple as a bit of tape . Its worth the hassle though. We also tell the doctors and anybody else who might forget. Whenever we get a new set of docs we always get them in the habit because every time they are on shift they get told by everybody to wash their hands, they soon learn. I have to say that from my experience doctors are not always the best at hand washing, but we soon change all that. It makes you wonder where they have worked previously.

Tracey

DunRoaminTheUK

If I was completely objective I would say that perhaps my last post was not completely balanced.

The reason I say this is because I have also seen a working example of an exemplary hospital and more precisely ward. Our baby boy was born almost 5 months ago at Swindon hospital and it was a shining example of what needs to be done to keep a hospital clean and working effectively.

It's not an exaggeration for me to say that I was 110% impressed by the staff at Swindon. On the baby ward the same degree of hygiene that you mentioned is in effect in your ward was also in effect there.

However, unless the situation is now undergoing radical change, I think that it's perhaps also safe to say that these type of hospitals are in the minority? My sister's recent birthing experience was quite different.

Michael Branagan-Harris

This is MADNESS - I mean the Uk really is becomming a JOKE!!! Glad I've escaped Blair !!

KatieStar

I would also add that one way infection is spread in hospitals is by patients sharing magazines and sweets amongst each other and sitting on each other's beds for a chat.

The hospital where I had Ezekiel encouraged mothers to help themselves to linen from the cupboards, which I thought could potentially spread infection.

Those tiny, ill babies, must be at such risk from infection I can understand the hospital wanting to keep them as safe as possible.

Katie