IT'S gloves off for regional health chiefs as they launch their latest campaign.

NHS bosses are striving to reduce the use by health and care workers of disposable gloves.

West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership says currently gloves are often worn unnecessarily and inappropriately, which can lead to less-effective hand hygiene and an increased risk of infections spreading.

"Gloves pick up and transfer germs in exactly the same way as un-gloved hands," said a spokesperson.

"The campaign encourages health and care workers to stop using single-use gloves when carrying out certain activities for non-infectious patients. The focus instead is on better hand hygiene before and after these activities.

"Overuse of gloves can create a false sense of security.

"As well as improving patient safety, there are other benefits to not using gloves.

"The NHS gets through 1.4 billion gloves every year and about a third of those are worn for activities where they are not needed. Reducing usage will lead to a greener NHS and help West Yorkshire meet its sustainability goals. The initiative supports staff to work in a more sustainable way and the money saved can be used more effectively elsewhere in health and care services.

"Using gloves only when it's clinically necessary will also reduce the incidence of health and care workers experiencing skin problems such as dermatitis. Skin problems are not always caused by a reaction to the glove itself, but can be due to the hands sweating and the lack of air flow inside the glove."

As part of the campaign, a web page – wypartnership.co.uk/campaigns/gloves – has been created, providing more information and reassurance to patients.

The spokesperson adds: "We've worked with members of West Yorkshire Voice to develop patient information, including the web page. It explains why people will see a reduction in the use of gloves. It reassures patients that clean hands are safe, but that gloves will always be used if there's a risk of infection."

Sarah Chadwick, the partnership’s antimicrobial resistance programme manager, says: "The campaign has been designed to improve adherence to hand hygiene regulations through the reduction of inappropriate glove use across health and care settings.

"The 'Gloves off' initiative aims to increase patient safety and supports our ambition to tackle infection and antimicrobial resistance. We believe that increasing the focus on hand cleanliness instead will lead to a better and safer experience for both patients and staff."