Tork offers Safe at Work COVID-19 toolkit

Healthcare professionals often find their hand hygiene instruction to be too theoretical, according to a study.

Tork manufacturer Essity has responded by launching the Safe at Work: COVID-19 Healthcare Toolkit in a bid to support healthcare staff with hands-on training.

“Clean hands are key to stopping the spread of diseases and infections,” said Essity’s Healthcare Marketing Director Tom Bergin.

“We want to support healthcare professionals in these extremely challenging times, so we have launched the Safe at Work: COVID-19 Healthcare Toolkit as an act of appreciation for all they do.”

The launch has been timed to coincide with World Hand Hygiene Day (5 May) which this year highlights the role of nurses and midwives. The Safe at Work: COVID-19 Healthcare Toolkit includes resources for better hand hygiene, surface hygiene and dispenser placement as well as downloadable instruction posters.

A recent global survey of more than 1,000 healthcare professionals conducted by United Minds on behalf of Tork revealed that 21 per cent of respondents found their hand hygiene training to be too theoretical. This was among the most common complaints concerning hand hygiene instruction.

Eight out of 10 healthcare workers claimed to be keen to improve their hand hygiene compliance while 61 per cent said they would like the topic to receive higher priority on their ward. And a quarter were unsure as to whether or not their own hand hygiene practices lived up to current recommendations.

Besides the Safe at Work: COVID-19 Healthcare Toolkit, Essity also offers the Tork VR Clean Hands training app aimed at healthcare professionals, cleaners and EVS staff. Information on how to use this free app can be found in the toolkit.

“The frontline nurses, doctors, cleaners and environmental service are doing incredible work,” said Bergin. “As a provider of professional hygiene products and services we are happy to offer the Safe at Work: COVID-19 Healthcare Toolkit to support healthcare professionals so that they can protect themselves and their patients in these critical times.”

In a bid to support the vulnerable and help beat COVID-19, Essity has donated $200,000 to the United Nations Foundation to aid the World Health Organisation’s lifesaving work in fighting the virus. The company has also sent nappies and feminine protection to communities in Greece, plus 51,600 items of personal protective equipment to Italy. And 14,000 rolls of Tork toilet paper have been donated to the American Red Cross and Albany-based Living Resources.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”. This year also marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale – one of the founding figures for modern nursing.

The new toolkit is free to download at tork.co.uk/safeatwork. Read more about the United Minds study here.