Infection prevention and control (IPC) is non-negotiable in adult social care and also has a negative impact on the environment with even the smallest lapses leading to significant IPC and sustainability risks. One of the most overlooked weak points lies in the simple act of glove dispensing and donning. Traditional glove boxes often expose multiple gloves at once, increasing the likelihood of cross-contamination, waste, and non-compliance with infection control standards.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) makes it clear that registered providers must “assess and manage the risk of infection… detect and control the risk of infection spreading” whilst sharing concerns appropriately. Infection prevention and control – Care Quality Commission. The CQC are also tasked with moving care providers to environmental consciousness.
The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, specifically Regulation 12, requires providers to deliver care and treatment in a safe manner, which includes effective infection prevention and control measures. Health and Social Care Act 2008: code of practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance – GOV.UK
In practice, IPC relies on environment hygiene, staff behaviour, auditing systems, training and proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). This article explores how an intelligent glove dispensing system can contribute to a stronger IPC performance in care, reducing cross contamination risk by 96%, improved auditability and better aligning with regulatory expectations alongside the reduction of harm to the environment caused by PPE.
Glove usage and the opportunity for improvement
PPE is one of the more delicate processes in IPC, specifically the donning (putting on) and removal of disposable gloves. Hand protection is essential, but gloves are also a risk point in cross contamination if not handled carefully.
Common risks
- Touch contamination
- If the user touches the palm, fingers or thumb of the glove when dispensing or donning, the glove can become contaminated.
- Multiple glove dispensing
- Traditional glove boxes often allow more than one glove to be pulled out or touched, increasing both potential waste and accidental contamination when the gloves are touched or come into contact with a non-sterile surface.
- Waste and logistical issues
- There are hidden economical costs caused by high wastage, bulky packaging and storage constraints.
Gloves are a vital part of IPC, but also a source of cross contamination when incorrectly dispensed or donned. Gloves dispensed through traditional methods, within an industry where infection control is paramount, are a cause for concern.
The expectations
Standard Infection Control Precautions (SICPs)
UK guidance (National Infection Prevention and Control manual) provides a universal set of standard infection control precautions that must be adhered to during every care interaction with any resident to reduce the risk of transmission. This includes hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, appropriate use of PPE, safe management and maintenance of equipment, and safe waste disposal. NHS England » Chapter 1: Standard infection control precautions (SICPs)
In adult social care the UKHSA and Department of Health and Social Care issue matching IPC guidance that highlight maintaining these precautions at all times, and not just during outbreaks. Infection prevention and control in adult social care: acute respiratory infection – GOV.UK
CQC Expectations
CQC’s inspections assess whether providers have effective systems in place for managing infection risk, maintaining hygiene standards for the premises and equipment, whilst ensuring staff follow safe practices Infection prevention and control – Care Quality Commission. In care homes specifically, CQC inspectors use questions and prompts to evaluate IPC readiness, looking for strengths or weaknesses in how well staff and people living in care homes are protected by infection prevention and control (IPC) Infection prevention and control in care homes – Care Quality Commission
Providers are expected to meet 10 core compliance criteria under the Code of Practice on Prevention and Control of Infections (which informs CQC’s regulatory view). The criteria include having systems to manage IPC risks, maintaining a hygienic environment, effective staff training and implementing audit processes Health and Social Care Act 2008: code of practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance – GOV.UK
In brief, the standards and expectations are high. Not only must providers put IPC systems in place, but they must also evidence ongoing vigilance, auditing and improvements.
The Solution
One solution rigorously tested by independent testing by Swann Morton found that gloves dispensed using the SafeDon system showed up to 96% less cross-contamination compared with traditional glove boxes.
SafeDon is a patented glove dispensing system capable of tackling many of the IPC risks and concerns.
1. Cuff First Dispensing, one glove at a time.
Interleaved packing presents each glove cuff first, allowing users to don gloves without touching critical areas such as the fingertips or palm. This design reduces touch contamination and ensures only one glove is dispensed at a time thus preventing accidental contamination by contact with adjacent gloves or surfaces.
Additionally, by dispensing one glove at a time eliminates the risk of accidentally pulling multiple gloves together, with them spilling out and potentially touching contaminated surfaces. The single glove intelligent dispensing system also reduces glove wastage caused by cross-contamination during glove dispensing.
In larger healthcare environments, where clinical waste is incinerated and disposal costs are charged by weight, this reduction can have both environmental and operational benefits.
2. Hygienic Glove Donning
Cuff only contact supports hygienic glove donning and compliments hand hygiene protocols. The correct donning system uses a staged approach to help maintain glove cleanliness throughout:
Step 1: With the dominant hand (ungloved), pull the presenting cuff from the dispenser.
Step 2: Don the glove on the non-dominant hand by touching only the cuff.
Step 3: Using your gloved hand, pull the second glove from the dispenser by the presented cuff.
Step 4: Don the dominate hand with your already gloved hand.
3. Efficient Logistics and Storage
Supporting the sustainability requirement, a compact packaging system is necessary which optimises storage space and transport efficiency.
Thankfully the SafeDon boxes each contain 200 gloves uniquely interleaved to reduce cardboard waste and co2 output, lowering logistical costs. The reduction in packaging allows more boxes per carton, container, vehicle, improving distribution efficiency and providing environmental gains.
In a regulatory environment where IPC standards and sustainability are under scrutiny, SafeDon offers a measurable improvement in IPC compliance and carbon reduction. By reducing cross contamination risks and supporting sustainable practices, SafeDon helps care providers strengthen IPC performance and meet the expectations of the CQC and UKHSA whilst helping to reduce carbon emissions.
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