AMBULANCE staff are to help pilot a campaign designed to tackle health-related infections.

The South East Coast Ambulance Service has been chosen as one of the first ambulance trusts in England to take part in the National Patient Safety Agency’s cleanyourhands campaign.

The campaign aims to cut infections by supporting NHS staff in improving hand hygiene and prompting them to clean their hands at critical moments immediately before and after contact with patients.

The trust’s infection control manager, Brian Pullen, said: “We already operate good infection control practices within the trust including hand hygiene.

"However we take the issue of infection prevention and control very seriously which is why we are not being complacent and are joining this important campaign.”

The trust is one of 19 trusts to adopt the campaign.

Staff will attend workshops and host visits from the cleanyourhands team to ensure the campaign has been adopted appropriately.

The campaign will be introduced nationally across all trusts early next year.