New resources to encourage healthcare professionals to reduce glove use

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is calling on healthcare professionals to reduce their glove use as part of this year’s Glove Awareness Week (2-9 May). The College is highlighting the surge in glove use since the start of the pandemic, and asking healthcare professionals to ask themselves: ‘Is this necessary?’ every time they reach for a pair of gloves. Further reading: How is climate change impacting on our health? A staggering 12.7 billion gloves were sent for use in the NHS and social care in England alone between February 2020 and March 2022, up from 1.7 billion in 2019.