This national policy is a practice guide for NHS healthcare staff of all disciplines in all care settings. It covers responsibilities for organisations, staff and infection prevention and control teams. It also sets out how and when to decontaminate hands.

The national policy aims to:

• support a common understanding (making the right thing easy to do for every patient, every time)
• reduce variation in practice and standardise care processes
• improve how knowledge and skills are applied in infection prevention and control
• help reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infection
• help to align practice, education, monitoring, quality improvement and scrutiny