On Tuesday 5 May, St. Michael’s House joined organisations around the world in marking World Hand Hygiene Day 2026, highlighting the important message that Action Saves Lives.
Hand hygiene is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect our health. Clean hands help reduce the spread of infections and play a vital role in keeping the people we support, our staff, families, and communities safe.
Human hands can carry millions of bacteria. While many are harmless, some can lead to illness. Regular and effective hand cleaning is a key step in preventing the spread of common infections such as colds, flu, norovirus, and COVID-19.
Across St. Michael’s House, teams continue to promote good hand hygiene practices as part of everyday supports. This includes encouraging regular handwashing, supporting individuals to build independence in personal care and maintaining safe, healthy environments.
Our Infection Prevention and Control and Nursing teams were also on hand throughout the day, supporting staff and individuals to practice correct hand hygiene and reinforcing the importance of these simple but essential actions. Click here to view photos.
World Hand Hygiene Day is a reminder that small actions can have a big impact. By taking the time to clean our hands properly, we are protecting not only ourselves, but everyone around us.
Are you cleaning your hands correctly?
Let’s continue to work together to make hand hygiene part of our daily routine.