GEN2 Prepare and dress for work in healthcare settings

Overview

This standard covers the control of cross-infection by correctly preparing and dressing appropriately for work in healthcare areas. This includes effective handwashing/cleansing. Users of this standard will need to ensure that practice reflects up to date information and policies. Version No 1

Knowledge and Understanding

You will need to know and understand:

1. Organisational policies and protocols in accordance with Clinical/Corporate Governance as affect your work practice in relation to preparing and dressing for work
2. Your responsibilities and accountability in relation to the current European and National legislation, national guidelines and local policies and protocols and Clinical/Corporate Governance
3. The duty to report any acts or omissions in care that could be detrimental to yourself, other individuals or your employer
4. The importance of applying standard precautions to preparing and dressing for work and the potential consequences of poor practice
5. The importance of maintaining high standards of personal hygiene at all times
6. The personal (outdoor) clothing and other personal fashion items that should be removed for work in a clinical/controlled environment, and the reasons for this
7. The causes of infection and cross-infection
8. The application of standard precautions for infection control and other relevant health and safety issues
9. The links between individual presentation, professional appearance and reduction of individuals’ anxiety
10. The policy on the use of makeup or the wearing of jewellery and covering facial and head hair where this is required
11. Protective clothing and:
    1. the reasons why particular materials are used for personal protective clothing
    2. the types of protective clothing available, and their suitability in different situations
    3. the reasons why personal protective clothing must be clean and undamaged when being worn
    4. how the correct use of personal protective clothing contributes to infection control and how this links to standard precautions
    5. the importance of wearing personal protective clothing which is comfortable
    6. the reasons why personal protective clothing should not be worn outside the designated working area
    7. situations in which additional protective clothing should be worn
12. Protective equipment and:
    1. the circumstances in which additional protective equipment is needed
    2. the types of additional protective equipment available
    3. the suitability of different types of additional protective equipment for different situations
    4. the importance of wearing adequate and appropriate additional protective equipment
    5. where and how to dispose of used, dirty and damaged clothing (both re-usable and single-use)
13. The importance of effective hand washing
14. Methods of cleaning hands and other areas of skin, and the times at which skin cleaning is necessary
15. Procedures for reporting problems with personal protective clothing and additional protective equipment (e.g. shortfalls in stock, dirty or damaged items)
16. The importance of immediately reporting any issues which are outside your own sphere of competence without delay to the relevant member of staff

Performance Criteria

You must be able to do the following:

1. apply standard precautions for infection prevention and control and other appropriate health and safety measures
2. remove personal clothing and fashion items that should not be worn in the workplace and store them in an appropriate safe place
3. check that all personal protective equipment is clean, in a good state of repair and fits comfortably
4. wear the correct personal protective equipment for your role and the procedure you are undertaking in line with organisational policy
5. where required, cover any cuts and grazes securely with an appropriate dressing
6. maintain a clean, neat and tidy appearance at all times
7. change your personal protective equipment as soon as practicably possible if it becomes unsuitable for use
8. remove your personal protective equipment safely in a way that minimises the risk of cross-infection and put it in the appropriate place for re-processing or disposal as necessary
9. report any shortfalls in personal protective equipment stocks promptly to the appropriate person
10. prevent contamination of personal protective equipment by only wearing it in the designated working area, and changing into personal clothing when you finish work
11. wear additional protective equipment when there is the risk of or presence of aerosol blood, body fluids or radiation in line with organisational policy
12. wear synthetic non-powdered unsterile gloves, and plastic apron when cleaning and when handling blood, body fluids, specimens and toxic or corrosive substances in line with mandatory risk assessments
13. wash and dry your hands effectively, or use an appropriate alcoholic skin decontamination fluid when arriving on duty and then before and after each activity/patient contact

Additional Information

This National Occupational Standard was developed by Skills for Health. This standard links with the following dimension within the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (October 2004): Dimension: Core 3 Health, safety and security