Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State might be right about calling it the Florence Nightingale campaign. Now that we have secured the Rosie Hackett bridge, maybe we can ensure we will have clean hands, and that will be thanks to another woman.

It is incredible and a little disappointing that the HSE's target figure for compliance for last year was only 85% and for this year it is only 90%. Surely its target should be 100% for something as basic as hand hygiene. I welcome the indication that some of these standards will be enshrined in the licensing of health facilities Bill. The Minister of State might be able to give some indication as to when that Bill is likely to be published and taken on the floor of the House.

It is incredible that some of the most highly paid professional people in this country, who are paid from the public purse and who also get huge resources in terms of the education they receive, cannot do something as basic as washing their hands. As a mother, I taught my daughter from a very early age the importance of hand hygiene, yet we consistently have failure by some of the most educated people in this country to do something as basic as washing their hands.

As the Minister of State said, this endeavour goes back to the time of the Crimean War, when it was discovered that if people washed their hands, maternal death rates plummeted. This is something hospitals all over Europe struggle with in terms of controlling hospital infections. I think it incumbent on those in leadership positions in hospitals to embed a culture of change. When one is in a hospital facility, one often sees medical people coming out in their scrubs or uniforms to go for their coffee or lunch. That kind of practice needs to stop to ensure we have clean and safe hospitals for the public.

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