Academics have called for national guidelines on washing nurse uniforms, after research revealed almost half of hospital staff are failing to clean them at temperatures hot enough to kill most bacteria.
Researchers from De Montfort University in Leicester found 49% of hospital staff did not wash their uniforms at the recommended 60°C temperature. They surveyed 265 hospital staff at four East Midlands hospitals.
The Department of Health released guidance in 2010 stating that uniforms should be washed at the highest temperature suitable for the fabric and that a 10-minute wash at 60°C is sufficient to remove most microorganisms.
