Decontamination in primary care dental practices - Gov.uk

Decontamination: Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 – Decontamination in primary care dental practices (2013 edition)Appendix 1 – Hand-hygiene policyA hand-hygiene policy must be available within thepractice and should contain, at least, the following:• Carry out hand hygiene between each patienttreatment, and before donning and after removal ofgloves.• Bar soap must not be used or made available in thepractice.• Do not use scrub or nail brushes because these cancause abrasion of the skin where microorganisms canreside.• Nails must be short and clean. Nails should be free ofnail art, permanent or temporary enhancements (falsenails) or nail varnish.• Nails should be cleaned using a blunt “orange” stick.• Use good-quality soft paper hand-towels.• Ensure that paper towels and drying techniques donot damage the skin.• Use a hand cream following hand-washing at the endof a session to counteract dryness and as required.• Hand-washing should take place at least at thebeginning and end of every session, and if hands arevisibly soiled.• Antimicrobial handrubs conforming to BS EN 1500can be used on visibly clean hands as an alternative towashing.• If hands become sticky with the build of handrubresidue, they must be washed as normal using aproper hand-hygiene technique.• Alcohol-impregnated wipes used for cleaning surfacesshould not be used in place of handrubs/gels, as theyare not effective in hand decontamination.• Use a foot-operated or sensor-operated waste bin.76