Highlighting the importance of cleaning hands on World Hand Hygiene Day

5 days ago

To mark World Hand Hygiene Day, Monday, 5 May 2025, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Social Care and Health Protection Team, in partnership with Hywel Dda University Health Board is engaging with health and social care services throughout the region to encourage consistent hand hygiene practices.

Hand hygiene is a key message that is promoted within Carmarthenshire County Council, all year round and our goal is to reduce the transmission of infections within the community, healthcare environments, and beyond.

World Hand Hygiene Day 2025, is organised by the World Health Organization (WHO), and aims to focus on the following key objectives:

  • Promoting optimal hand hygiene practices: This includes using the appropriate technique and following the WHO 5 Moments approach for hand hygiene, along with the responsible use of gloves in the healthcare workflow.
  • Promote inclusion 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.
  • Raising awareness of the environmental impact of glove use: Highlighting the significant environmental and climate effects of glove usage, particularly in terms of waste generation, and advocating for responsible glove use only when necessary.

World Hand Hygiene Day is an essential reminder to everyone, that cleaning hands is one of the most important preventative actions in reducing spread of infections both in healthcare settings, community care settings and in everyday life.

Cabinet Lead for Health and Social Services, Cllr. Jane Tremlett said:

Hand hygiene is a simple yet incredibly important instruction for us all to follow. Whilst this is a practice that the County Council adheres to, every day of the year, we fully support The World Health Organization’s Hand Hygiene Day to raise awareness of this important issue, which is a vital part of everyday life.”