{"id":4400,"date":"2026-04-30T07:21:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T07:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/?p=4400"},"modified":"2026-04-30T07:21:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T07:21:24","slug":"5-golden-rules-healthcare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/","title":{"rendered":"5 golden rules in healthcare for World Hand Hygiene Day 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Clean hands are the first line of defence, but in 2026, awareness isn\u2019t enough. It\u2019s time for action.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>May 5th, 2026, is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/campaigns\/world-hand-hygiene-day\/2026\">World Hand Hygiene Day,<\/a> and this year\u2019s WHO theme \u201cAction Saves Lives \u2013 Safer care starts with clean hands\u201d calls on the healthcare sector to turn guidance into habit. While we previously focused on the role of gloves and PPE, this year is about the bigger picture: integrating hand hygiene into the very fabric of healthcare workflows. At Initial Medical, we\u2019re helping teams bridge the gap between &#8220;knowing&#8221; and &#8220;doing&#8221; to create safer environments for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. <strong>When to wash your hands in healthcare<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hand hygiene must be completed at the right moments throughout healthcare treatment. WHO offers \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.who.int\/media\/docs\/default-source\/integrated-health-services-(ihs)\/infection-prevention-and-control\/your-5-moments-for-hand-hygiene-poster.pdf\">Your 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene\u2019<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Before touching a patient.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Before clean\/aseptic procedures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After body fluid exposure risk.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After touching a patient.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After touching the patient\u2019s surroundings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Regular handwashing at these points reduces cross contamination between patients, surroundings, and healthcare professionals and other people in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"724\" height=\"483\" src=\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-1162544077.jpg\" alt=\"washing hands in healthcare\" class=\"wp-image-4403\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-1162544077.jpg 724w, https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-1162544077-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. <strong>Prepare for safe handwashing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Standard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/medical\/infection-control\/\">infection control <\/a>steps, like handwashing, are to be performed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.england.nhs.uk\/national-infection-prevention-and-control-manual-nipcm-for-england\/chapter-1-standard-infection-control-precautions-sicps\/\">all staff in all care settings<\/a>, no matter whether infection is known to be present or not. Clinicians must ensure hand hygiene is completed thoroughly at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some steps that must be followed are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Forearms must be exposed, with all cuts or abrasions covered by a waterproof dressing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jewellery should be removed or moved out of the way during hand hygiene.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wash hands that are visibly dirty, or when caring for a patient with vomiting or diarrhoeal illness, or a suspected or known gastrointestinal infection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In all other circumstances, use an alcohol-based hand rub.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. <strong>Follow best practice steps for hand hygiene<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many governing bodies and sources of guidance have step-by-step instructions for effective hand hygiene. NHS England refers to the steps laid out by the UK Health Security Agency for both <a href=\"http:\/\/england.nhs.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/nipc-manual-appendix-1-handwashing.pdf\">hand wash<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.england.nhs.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/nipc-manual-appendix-2-handrubbing.pdf\">hand rub<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each follows the same steps. Healthcare teams should regularly review these to ensure best practice is implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. <strong>You might have gloves on but hand hygiene is still important!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While gloves are a vital component of PPE, they are never a substitute for clean hands.To turn awareness into life-saving action, keep these three points at the center of your workflow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The &#8220;Glove Sandwich&#8221;: <\/strong>Hand hygiene must be performed before donning gloves and immediately after removing them. Pathogens can still contaminate hands during the removal process or through micro-perforations in the material.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The 5 Moments Matter: <\/strong>Glove use does not pause the clock on the WHO \u20185 Moments for Hand Hygiene.\u2019 Gloves should be changed, and hands sanitised, between different care activities on the same patient to prevent cross-contamination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sustainable Action: <\/strong>&#8220;Action&#8221; also means acting responsibly toward our environment. Unnecessary glove use contributes to a massive waste burden. In recent years, healthcare systems have seen PPE waste soar to hundreds of tonnes per day. By choosing glove use only when clinically indicated, you protect both your patients and the planet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pro-Tip: <\/strong>Ensure your facility has clearly labeled <a href=\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/medical\/clinical-waste\/\">clinical<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/medical\/offensive-waste\/\">offensive<\/a> waste containers within arm&#8217;s reach of the point of care. This makes the &#8220;action&#8221; of safe disposal seamless and compliant with 2026 safety standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. <strong>Choose effective hand hygiene solutions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK144054\/\"> WHO recommends alcohol-based hand rubs <\/a>as the &#8220;gold standard&#8221; because of their rapid action and broad microbicidal activity. To turn the 2026 &#8220;Action Saves Lives&#8221; theme into reality, practitioners need access to high-performance formulas that fit into their high-pressure workflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Initial Medical provides a range of hand hygiene solutions, including our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/washroom\/hand-care\/\">Signature Alcohol Hand Sanitiser,<\/a> the ideal choice for high-pressure clinical environments. To help your facility meet NHS England\u2019s guidance on point-of-care accessibility, this range can be paired with wall-mounted units or No-Touch dispensers. By placing these solutions in high-traffic areas and bedside locations, you ensure that life-saving hand hygiene is always within reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our No-Touch technology further enhances safety by eliminating a common contact point, significantly reducing the risk of cross-contamination. By integrating these alcohol-based solutions into your daily workflow, you make the &#8220;action&#8221; of sanitising seamless and efficient, protecting both your staff and patients with every application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Get in touch to learn more about effective hand hygiene with<a href=\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/medical\/\"> Initial Medical.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Clean hands are the first line of defence, but in 2026, awareness isn\u2019t enough. It\u2019s time for action. May 5th, 2026, is World Hand Hygiene Day, and this year\u2019s WHO theme \u201cAction Saves Lives \u2013 Safer care starts with clean hands\u201d calls on the healthcare sector to turn guidance into habit. While we previously focused [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":4407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[226],"tags":[14,393],"class_list":["post-4400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hand-hygiene","tag-hand-hygiene","tag-healthcare"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>World Hand Hygiene Day 2026 | Initial Washroom Hygiene<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"5 hand hygiene rules for healthcare. Protect patients &amp; clinicians; learn best practices for handwashing &amp; glove use for Hand Hygiene Day.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"World Hand Hygiene Day 2026 | Initial Washroom Hygiene\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"5 hand hygiene rules for healthcare. Protect patients &amp; clinicians; learn best practices for handwashing &amp; glove use for Hand Hygiene Day.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Initial Washroom Hygiene and Initial Medical UK - Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/InitialHygieneUK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-30T07:21:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-30T07:21:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-687758768.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2119\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1415\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rebecca Waters\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rebecca Waters\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Rebecca Waters\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ff26743e3f380911e85312efdda174df\"},\"headline\":\"5 golden rules in healthcare for World Hand Hygiene Day 2026\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-30T07:21:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-30T07:21:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/\"},\"wordCount\":708,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-687758768.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"hand hygiene\",\"healthcare\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Hand Hygiene\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/\",\"name\":\"World Hand Hygiene Day 2026 | Initial Washroom Hygiene\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-687758768.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-30T07:21:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-30T07:21:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"5 hand hygiene rules for healthcare. Protect patients & clinicians; learn best practices for handwashing & glove use for Hand Hygiene Day.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-687758768.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-687758768.jpg\",\"width\":2119,\"height\":1415,\"caption\":\"hand washing in healthcare\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"5 golden rules in healthcare for World Hand Hygiene Day 2026\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Initial Washroom Hygiene and Initial Medical UK - Blog\",\"description\":\"Experts in Washroom Hygiene and Healthcare Waste Services\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Initial UK\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Initial_Horizontal_WithStrap_small2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Initial_Horizontal_WithStrap_small2.jpg\",\"width\":120,\"height\":90,\"caption\":\"Initial UK\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/InitialHygieneUK\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Initial_UK\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/initial-hygiene-united-kingdom\/\",\"http:\/\/youtube.com\/c\/InitialCoUkHygiene\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ff26743e3f380911e85312efdda174df\",\"name\":\"Rebecca Waters\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/20220311_132512-Rebecca-Waters-2-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/20220311_132512-Rebecca-Waters-2-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Rebecca Waters\"},\"description\":\"Rebecca Waters, BSc (Hons), FCIM Rebecca has worked in the healthcare and hygiene sectors for over 20 years and earned a BSc Chemistry (Hons) before joining Rentokil Initial in 2003. Following analytical and research roles in the R&amp;D team, she has honed her marketing expertise across various marketing roles since 2006. Rebecca is a Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Marketing She keeps up-to-date on all changes within the clinical waste management, specialist hygiene, and infection control industries, and is an active member of the CIWM and HWMA. Outside of work Rebecca is an outdoor enthusiast and loves nature \u2013 whether hiking, camping, or kayaking. Her love of the outdoors led to her taking additional environmental studies during her university degree and she is proud to push the sustainability agenda throughout her work.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/medical\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rebecca-waters-53827915\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"World Hand Hygiene Day 2026 | Initial Washroom Hygiene","description":"5 hand hygiene rules for healthcare. Protect patients & clinicians; learn best practices for handwashing & glove use for Hand Hygiene Day.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"World Hand Hygiene Day 2026 | Initial Washroom Hygiene","og_description":"5 hand hygiene rules for healthcare. Protect patients & clinicians; learn best practices for handwashing & glove use for Hand Hygiene Day.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/","og_site_name":"Initial Washroom Hygiene and Initial Medical UK - Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/InitialHygieneUK","article_published_time":"2026-04-30T07:21:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-30T07:21:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2119,"height":1415,"url":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-687758768.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Rebecca Waters","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rebecca Waters","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/"},"author":{"name":"Rebecca Waters","@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ff26743e3f380911e85312efdda174df"},"headline":"5 golden rules in healthcare for World Hand Hygiene Day 2026","datePublished":"2026-04-30T07:21:22+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-30T07:21:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/"},"wordCount":708,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-687758768.jpg","keywords":["hand hygiene","healthcare"],"articleSection":["Hand Hygiene"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/","url":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/","name":"World Hand Hygiene Day 2026 | Initial Washroom Hygiene","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-687758768.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-30T07:21:22+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-30T07:21:24+00:00","description":"5 hand hygiene rules for healthcare. Protect patients & clinicians; learn best practices for handwashing & glove use for Hand Hygiene Day.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-687758768.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-687758768.jpg","width":2119,"height":1415,"caption":"hand washing in healthcare"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/5-golden-rules-healthcare\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"5 golden rules in healthcare for World Hand Hygiene Day 2026"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/","name":"Initial Washroom Hygiene and Initial Medical UK - Blog","description":"Experts in Washroom Hygiene and Healthcare Waste Services","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#organization","name":"Initial UK","url":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Initial_Horizontal_WithStrap_small2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Initial_Horizontal_WithStrap_small2.jpg","width":120,"height":90,"caption":"Initial UK"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/InitialHygieneUK","https:\/\/x.com\/Initial_UK","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/initial-hygiene-united-kingdom\/","http:\/\/youtube.com\/c\/InitialCoUkHygiene"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ff26743e3f380911e85312efdda174df","name":"Rebecca Waters","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/20220311_132512-Rebecca-Waters-2-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/20220311_132512-Rebecca-Waters-2-150x150.jpg","caption":"Rebecca Waters"},"description":"Rebecca Waters, BSc (Hons), FCIM Rebecca has worked in the healthcare and hygiene sectors for over 20 years and earned a BSc Chemistry (Hons) before joining Rentokil Initial in 2003. Following analytical and research roles in the R&amp;D team, she has honed her marketing expertise across various marketing roles since 2006. Rebecca is a Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Marketing She keeps up-to-date on all changes within the clinical waste management, specialist hygiene, and infection control industries, and is an active member of the CIWM and HWMA. Outside of work Rebecca is an outdoor enthusiast and loves nature \u2013 whether hiking, camping, or kayaking. Her love of the outdoors led to her taking additional environmental studies during her university degree and she is proud to push the sustainability agenda throughout her work.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/medical\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rebecca-waters-53827915\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4400"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5644,"href":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4400\/revisions\/5644"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.initial.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}