HAI watchdog awards

The HAI Watchdog Awards aim to recognise the work and dedication of doctors and nurses who are making a difference in reducing and preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in wards and departments throughout the country. The goal of the awards is to publicise these pioneering and effective initiatives and help all those delivering care to learn from one another. Central to the scheme is a dedicated website: www.haiwatchdog.com developed to help facilitate the sharing of best practice and to host discussions about a variety of infection prevention issues. The top prize in each award category is a £1,000 educational grant to the winning hospital from Kimberly-Clark. In addition, there will be national and community recognition through news releases and features on haiwatchdog.com and in the Kimberly-Clark Infection Watch e-newsletters, as well as a commemorative plaque for the winning hospital. There are four award categories and three of them will be judged by an experienced panel of experts – the ICU Infection Prevention Initiative, the Operating Theatre Infection Prevention Initiative and the HAI Patient Education Initiative. The fourth award – the HAI Clinicians’ Choice Award – will be decided through on-line voting via the HAI Watchdog website community. The closing date for submission of entries to the awards is 31 January 2012 and full details about the award criteria and how to enter is now available on the website.