Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care

1. Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care Unit HSC 027: Contribute to health and safety in health and social care Learning Outcome 4 Assessment Criteria 4.1 Unit 208 Understand health and safety in social care settings Learning Outcome 4 Assessment Criteria 4.3 Hand washing

2. Rubbing your hands with soap and water removes the dirt from the skin surface. The soapy lather loosens the dirt and germs which can then be rinsed away. How to wash your handsproperly

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4. Process • Rub palm to palm. • Rub your right palm over the back of your left hand and left over right. • Rub palm to palm with your fingers interlaced. • Rub the backs of your fingers to your opposite palms with your fingers interlaced. • Rotational rubbing of your right thumb clasped in your left palm and vice versa. • Rotational rubbing backwards and forwards with clasped fingers of your right hand in your left palm and vice versa.

5. Tips for hand washing • Wet hands under hot, running water. • Apply cleaning agent (liquid or antibacterial soap). • Rub palm to palm. • Rub right palm over back of left hand and left palm over back of right hand. • Rub palm to palm interlacing fingers. • Rub with backs of fingers gripped by opposite palm – each hand in turn. • Right thumb in left palm rub round and round and likewise with left thumb in right palm. • Rub round and round with fingers of right hand in left palm and vice versa. • Dry thoroughly with disposable paper towels. • Turn hand-operated taps off after drying hands, using a paper towel to prevent contamination.

6. Areas most commonly missed are: • thumbs • fingertips • cuticles • wrists • mid-palm • backs of hand • finger webs.

7. Equipment • Using liquid soap is best if possible – bars of soap harbour bacteria, especially when cracked. • Elbow or foot-operated tapsprevent you from contaminating taps when you turn them on, and then contaminating your clean hands when you turn them off! • Disposable paper towelsshould be used to dry where possible. • Use hand cream regularly to keep the skin moisturised and protect nail beds. • Disposal bins should be foot-operated to prevent contamination of hands.

8. Your hands should always be: • rinsed under running water before you apply soap or antiseptic detergent • thoroughly rinsed to remove any remaining soap • dried carefully, particularly drying the areas between your fingers.

9. Alcohol hand gel • If hands are not visibly soiled, alcohol hand gel could be used instead of soap and water. • It can be used as an extra precaution following thorough hand washing.

10. Hand creams • Communal jars of hand cream are not recommended because of the risk of cross-infection, it is best not to use oil-based hand creams as they may break down latex gloves.