The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital’s infection control nurses have been presented an award for carrying out the best infection control awareness raising campaign in the country.

The hospital trust has a full-time team of infection control nurses, led by a consultant microbiologist, who undertake surveillance and audit programmes, compulsory staff training and general awareness-raising, whilst also advising patients and staff about specific infections.

The hospital team won the ICNet prize for the most innovative infection control awareness week programme during national awareness-raising week, September 22nd to 29th. The Rt Hon Virginia Bottomley MP presented the team with their certificate at the opening of the Infection Control Nurses’ Association conference in Telford on Monday.

Earlier this year, the Commission for Health Improvement’s Star Ratings exercise recorded that the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust had seen positive tests for MRSA fall from 45 between April-December 2001 to 39 positive tests in April-December 2002.

Senior infection control nurse Helga Scotton said: “We’re delighted to win this award. We work very hard to raise the profile of infection control within the hospital and to promote best practice in order to protect our patients, staff and visitors. This would not have been achieved without the support of the staff at the Norfolk and Norwich.”

One of the key messages to the public and health professionals is to keep their hands clean. We are fortunate to have alcohol hand rub preparations for staff throughout the hospital to ensure that decontamination can be done quickly and effectively and complements traditional hand-washing practices.