Cardboard cut-outs of Epsom and St Helier Hospital bosses have been introduced in an attempt to curb infections.

Life-size boards of chief executive Michael Hopkins, medical directors Dr Ruth Charlton and Dr Martin Stockwell, as well as nursing director Pippa Hart have been placed around the hospital as part of the hospitals’ clean hand zone campaign, which aims to increase awareness about infections such as MRSA and C diff. The campaign focuses on hand hygiene and encourages patients and visitors to challenge staff if they believe they have not cleaned their hands.

Launching the campaign, Mr Hopkins said: “It reminds everyone in our hospitals that we all have a duty to keep our hands clean, and to reduce the spread of infections.

“We have been incredibly successful in recent years at reducing the number of infections in our hospitals. “We have cut cases of MRSA by 75 per cent since 2003-04, and we have reduced C diff cases from 268 in 2007-08 to 88 in 2010-11.”