A campaign has been launched with the intention of stopping inappropriate glove usage by staff. This has saved a trust that operates in London over £90,000. It has also prevented 18 tonnes of unnecessary waste. Staff who work at the Great Ormond Street hospital have seen a huge improvement since the project started and a lot of people have worked hard to try and embrace the new approach. Before this, the infection control audits often showed that clinical staff were not always complying with requirements. The trust, at the time were actually ordering over 200,000 pairs of gloves every single week. Those who work in a nursing recruitment agency will know how expensive this can be. If you work in a nurse agency, then you may also know how complex the regulations can sometimes be.

The campaign is called Gloves Off and they are focused on using non-sterile gloves. These should only be used by any healthcare professional when they are dealing with mucous membranes, body fluids or even blood. There has been an educational page developed for staff already and they are trying to advise as to when gloves should be worn and so that they can undertake a risk assessment too. One key part of the program is reminding staff that' gloves should never be worn for any routine examination and that they should not be used while administering any kind of intravenous medication either. The work that they are putting in has certainly helped them to achieve everything they have ever wanted, and it is a fantastic way for everyone to see how sometimes a small change can make a huge difference. The trust aren’t stopping there however because they are also working hard to make even more people see the fact that gloves are not always required.