Southampton hospitals review use of hand gels after people drink them

They are to move four of the colourless gel dispensers – in some cases containing 70 per cent alcohol – from some of Southampton General’s more secluded areas to communal sites covered by CCTV.

The move comes after two men died when they drank the deadly disinfectant in London following a spate of thefts from Lewisham Hospital, which has since removed alcohol based gel from its public corridors.

All hospital trusts have since been ordered by the Department of Health’s National Patient Safety Agency to carry out a risk assessment of the location of alcohol gel dispensers in public areas, wards and departments.

However hospital bosses, also responsible for the Princess Anne Hospital, said they will not remove any hand gels from the main entrance, at the entrance to wards or by patients’ beds.

Tracey Cooper, consultant nurse in infection prevention, said that alcohol hand gel remained the best weapon in the fight against hospital infections.

She said: “Alcohol hand gel is the gold standard for hand hygiene by clinical staff at the ‘point-of-care’ prior to and after contact with the patient and giving care.

“It is not possible to give exact data on the contribution to infection reduction, but the World Health Organisation guidance is very clear that it has a significant role in the reduction of all infections.’’ Meanwhile bosses at Winchester’s Royal Hampshire County Council have said that after carrying out a risk assessment they have no plans to move any of their alcohol gel dispensers. However, staff have been advised not to leave bottles of alcohol gel around confused patients or those with an alcohol dependency problem.

A hospital spokesman said: “We have had no issues with people taking the alcohol gel.

“Our emphasis is on people having good hand hygiene. The risk is in people not having clean hands rather than abusing alcohol dispensers.”