Hospital staff in Shepton Mallet embraced a ‘gloves off’ initiative this month in a bid to help save the planet one glove at a time.

In a move to reduce waste and to continue to support environmentally friendly practices at the hospital, clinical staff at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet – which treats both NHS and private patients – are keen to reduce non-essential glove use and avoid unnecessary plastic waste going into landfill.

A staggering 1.4 billion gloves are used across the NHS every year. To explore the negative impact that overuse of gloves has on the environment, the team ran a workshop to discuss ways to adopt small changes at the hospital, without compromising staff or safety.

When used correctly, gloves are a vital piece of personal protective equipment. However, there are times when hand washing thoroughly with soap and water can be just as effective in protecting staff and patients. Times when gloves may not be necessary include checking a patient’s blood pressure and temperature and dispensing medication to a patient.

Lucy Weston, lead nurse, infection prevention control at Practice Plus Group Hospital, Shepton Mallet, said: “Knowing when to use gloves at work and when not to is really important. We always prioritise patient safety and cleanliness and are proud of our zero MRSA infection rate. Effective hand washing in the right circumstances can significantly reduce the number of gloves going to landfill without compromising infection prevention. We’ve also had a bit of fun sharing this initiative and hope other hospitals will join in.”