NHS GLOUCESTERSHIRE Hospitals is urging the correct use of gloves to staff as part of the One Gloucestershire campaign, to reduce waste.
The new campaign message is “gloves don’t protect you, clean hands do”, as the service tries to achieve a 30% reduction in the use of gloves.
A spokesperson said: “We know that approximately 40% of glove use is inappropriate. At Gloucestershire Hospitals alone, we use 67,653 boxes of gloves per year, which is over 6 million single gloves, costing £328,117.05.
“The carbon factor with 6 million equals 156 tonnes of CO2. This is equal to 388 return trips by car from Land’s End to John O’Groats!”.
The move to reduce waste comes on the back of Earth Day (April 22), dedicated to demonstrating support for environmental protection.
NHS Gloucestershire added: “Our Infection Prevention and Control teams are reminding colleagues that gloves are sometimes being used unnecessarily.”
The service listed the most common circumstances where gloves are not needed. The list included:
For observations of patients
To push wheelchairs and beds around the hospital
To give out food, assist to feed patients and remove plates
When typing on the computer or answering the phone
More information about the campaign can be found via the NHS Gloucestershire social media platforms, or on the NHS Gloucestershire Hospitals website.