THE gloves are off at Ealing Hospital.
It is hoping to save hundreds of thousands of pounds a year by reducing unnecessary glove use in its wards.
It is part a wider NHS campaign to help save money and be more environmentally friendly.
More than 1.4 billion gloves are used by the NHS every year, with staff often wearing them for tasks that don’t require their use.
These include taking patients’ vitals, tidying bedspaces and helping a patient with food and drink.
Great Ormond Street Hospital kick-started the campaign in London five years ago and saved 21 tons of plastic in the first year.
The campaign has initially been introduced across six wards, including both intensive care units at Ealing and Northwick Park hospitals.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here