Hand Hygiene Guidelines
Soap or Alchohol Handrub?
![Handwash Types](/nursing/practice/clinicalskills/resources/procedures/handwash/hwashimages/sink_3_new_bottles.JPG)
Soap
- Found in all clinical areas
- For routine hand hygiene
- For hand disinfection, followed by the application of alcohol handrub for aseptic techniques
or when caring for patients with infections
Near Patient Alcohol Handrub
- Found in all clinical areas in either wall mounted dispenser or at the end of each bed in a portable dispenser
- For routine use (on physically clean hands only) before, in between and after all direct patient contact
Alchohol Handrub should not be used when:
- Hands are visibly soiled
- The patient / client is experiencing vomiting or diarrhoea
- The patient / client has clostridium difficile or the norovirus
(NPSA 2008)
Hand Cream
- Found in some clinical areas and in staff rooms.
- For moisturising hands, use at the end of a shift or other 'down time'
School of Health Sciences
B Floor (South Block Link)
Queen's Medical Centre
Nottingham, NG7 2HA
Tel: +44 (0)115 823 0850
email: shs-enquiries@nottingham.ac.uk