All hands are in for hygiene excellence at PA Hospital, thanks to a highly successful hand hygiene campaign led by Professor Geoffrey Playford and his team at Infection Management Services (IMS).
Launched in 2024, the Hand Hygiene Enhancement initiative has united the interprofessional team in a shared vision, while significantly improving hand hygiene practices across PAH’s services.
Distinguished by his active and direct involvement in enhancing hand hygiene practices among medical staff, Dr Playford worked hand-in-hand with the Infection Control nursing team to deliver interactive training sessions, create visual aids, and used feedback, posters, and videos to ensure that staff were continuously reminded of best hygiene practices.
He set a new benchmark for leadership and hand hygiene standards, reflecting his total commitment to patient safety and collaboration, while demonstrating a tangible difference in healthcare practices.
Dr Playford’s incredible efforts have earned him the 2024 Metro South Health Excellence in Leadership Award last November.
The nomination highlighted Dr Playford’s outstanding leadership qualities which have built a strong and supportive team culture founded in mutual respect and collaboration.
Executive Director PA Hospital Dr Jeremy Wellwood underscored the profound impact of Dr Playford’s work, which demonstrably rose to meet the unique challenges of the last five years.
“The pandemic was an exhausting time for all of us but particularly for the team in Infectious Diseases. They have seen the opportunities to improve care through that difficult time. Dr Playford and the team were essential throughout the Magnet® designation. They provided exemplars where they identified a problem, looked at the data and innovated solutions including examples such as the PICC line service,” he explained.
“Dr Playford’s leadership of the team is synonymous with interdisciplinary collaboration which is making a tangible difference to improving care.”
Dr Playford says the award strongly reflects the commitment of the entire multidisciplinary team and the values that underwrite their ethos.
“I think it comes back to the focus on the Magnet® philosophy that none of us succeed unless we are all working together. While my name is on the award, it is really the team that I’m very lucky to work with, the infection control practitioners, the physicians, the HP’s, the admin staff; - they are the source of our success,” said Dr Playford.
“The professional boundaries are blurred in our team, with a very horizontal structure where everyone is respected, their skills overlap and each complement how we work better together.”
Congratulations on this distinguished honour and thank you for your commitment to excellence, Dr Playford.