Last week I was a visitor to a ward in Edinburgh's Royal Infirmary,and I was surprised to see a notice on the ward door advising visitors flowers were banned because of Health and Safety rules !! I worked in that self same hospital back in the fifties, and to the best of my recollection, there was never an instance when a vase of flowers caused a problem,or were a danger to patients and staff
This morning an article in "The Scotsman " reported that staff in hospitals throughout Scotland are complaining that the frequent hand washing required is causing Dermatitis.We too had to wash our hands after every procedure involving patient care. We used soap and water, so perhaps if the present day staff tried that instead of the gels etc used nowadays, things might improve.