Pippa

anHaThenTh I’m all for hand hygiene. Hand washing, gloves, gels and foams... they’re all second nature at work. I love making sure I’m vigilant in this area. But then I met Pippa.

Pippa is employed by the hospital to stand guard at the entrance to the ward. She stands where you can’t see her until the very last second, and as you walk past, she yells out, in her nicest English accent, “please remember to wash your hands before you enter the ward.” For the first week or two, I jumped in surprise every time she startled me with her invasive guidance.

Pippa also tells you other useful information, such as “patients are not to be disturbed during protected mealtimes”, and that “visitor numbers are restricted in this hospital”. I think she has about 4 or 5 standard phrases. Sometimes I think she caters them specifically to the person walking past (wouldn’t it be funny to hear her tell some people “please attend to your personal hygiene” as they walk by?).

I feel bad ignoring her as I bustle past each day, but she gets really annoying. And what’s worse, there’s a Pippa employed to stand at the entrance to every ward at my hospital. Ok, so she may be a motion-sensored automated voice in a box, but I still feel like poking my tongue out at her in response to her high-school-monitor-ish tone.