One false move.

UK : Central Office of Information, 1963.

1 encoded moving image (9 min.) : sound, black and white

00:08:56

Crown copyright, managed by BFI.

Unrestricted

CC-BY-NC

Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 2.0 UK: England & Wales

In English

Made by the Central Office of Information for the Ministry of Health. A Realist Film Unit Production. Made with the cooperation of staff and patients of the North Middlesex Hospital. Photographed by AE Jeakins, edited by Rhonda Small, written and directed by Rodney Giesler, produced by JB Holmes.

This video was made from material preserved by the BFI National Archive.

Segment 1 A street market is shown, with a trader blowing his nose and then handling fruit. The narrator says that there are millions of germs around but that many people are strong enough not to fall ill. A hospital environment is different however. The film uses black paint to portray germs and to show how easily they are passed on. A nurse dusts the ward area but spreads contaminated dust around onto patients. The narrator suggests a damp cloth instead, and a vacuum cleaner for the floor. Five mistakes made by hospital staff are shown. First, a nurse uses another patient's dirty towel to clean up a spill on another patient. Next, a plumber is in a hurry and knocks over a bucket of dirty water. Third, a nurse empties a vacuum cleaner bag in a room with an open door and the contaminated dust flies out. Time start: 00:00:00:00 Time end: 00:04:59:11 Length: 00:04:59:11

Segment 1 Next, a porter carries a bin of dirty dressings to the incinerator but is in a hurry and knocks the bin against a patient's bed. Last, a nurse handles the patients' cutlery with dirty hands. The patients are all shown less well than before because of the cross-infection. The narrator says that staff's actions can make the difference between a patient leaving the hospital alive and well or in a coffin. Time start: 00:04:59:11 Time end: 00:08:56:14 Length: 00:03:57:03