World Hand Hygiene Day at St. Antony’s Unit, Clonmel

The World Health Organisation’s annual ‘World Hand Hygiene Day’ was marked this week at St. Anthony’s Unit residential care centre, Clonmel. Co. Tipperary.

The occasion was an opportunity for the HSE to highlight to all its staff, patients, residents, visitors and family members as to the importance of hand hygiene in helping prevent the spread of infection.

Evidence points to good hand hygiene as the single most important, effective and least expensive means of reducing the prevalence of healthcare associated infections and the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Highlighting ‘World Hand Hygiene Day’, the HSE Dublin and South East’s Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Nursing Team and Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Team hosted a promotional stand for ‘Resist’ in St. Anthony’s Unit.

‘Resist’ is a brand for several hand hygiene and infection prevention and control initiatives under the HSE’s Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control (AMRIC) programme. The stand in St. John’s featured an AI hand hygiene scanner, which is an interactive tool to promote and demonstrate correct hand hygiene technique.

St Anthony’s is an 18 bed residential care unit and provides long term and palliative care to older people. Construction of the new 50 bed, en-suite bed Clonmel Residential Care Centre is currently nearing completion on an adjacent site at Glenconnor, Clonmel. Upon opening, St. Anthony’s will transfer to it.

Speaking at St. Anthony’s Unit on World Hand Hygiene Day, Director of Nursing Sisi Emmanuel said:

“St. Anthony’s Unit in Clonmel has an excellent record in hand hygiene but we are always looking to improve our standards. The ‘Resist’ programme, which we highlighted here on World Hand Hygiene Day helps us to refresh and energise our hand hygiene approach among staff and residents. As a programme, ‘Resist’ is not just aimed at those delivering care but at everyone who comes into a healthcare facility, including visitors.”

Michelle Hennebry (Infection Prevention and Control Clinical Nurse Specialist, HSE Dublin and South East) added:

“Cleaning your hands properly, at the correct time, when delivering care to our clients, as well as assisting them to carry out their own, is the most effective way to stop the spread of many infections. When healthcare workers like doctors, nurses and carers keep their hands clean, they help prevent the spread of serious healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). These are infections that can happen in any healthcare service.”

“Our message on World Hand Hygiene Day is that some infections found in healthcare facilities can be very serious. We can all help stop the spread of these infections by making sure that staff, clients and visitors clean their hands.”

For further information, see: https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/how-to-clean-your-hands/ and https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-hand-hygiene-day/2026