RCN: Coat ban is a positive step
Monday, 17 Sep 2007 12:04
Banning long-sleeved white coats and shirts from hospital wards is a "positive step forward" to reducing the healthcare associated infections MRSA and Clostridium difficile, according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
Guidelines announced by health secretary Alan Johnson say that hand and wrist washing is not as effective if there is material and jewellery around doctors' wrists.
RCN general secretary Dr Peter Carter said he supports "any initiative that promotes good hand hygiene in clinical practice".
"Nurses are at the forefront of initiatives to tackle healthcare associated infections but in order to be successful we need commitment from the entire NHS team; from all staff, in all disciplines and in every healthcare setting," Dr Carter added.
