The NHS has been urged to switch to a different type of latex glove following concerns over asthma and allergies.
The recommendation, by the Royal College of Physicians and NHS Plus, comes in the month after a Health Care Assistant was awarded a six-figure compensation payout after being forced to quit her job because of a latex allergy.
Tanya Todd was forced to quit work at Scarborough General Hospital after suffering a severe allergic reaction to the glove material. Ms Todd claimed that she had never been warned of the dangers of latex and was never told to reduce her exposure to the gloves after her symptoms developed.
The guidelines recommend switching to powder-free forms of the glove, which contain only a tenth of the latex content of powdered gloves.
Dr Syed Ahmed of East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The optimal management of latex allergy in the workplace has been unclear for a long time.
"We're delighted that our work has looked comprehensively at all the research and has established evidence-based guidelines to address this important issue."
It is believed that as many as one in six health workers suffer from latex-related problems at some time during their career.
The recommendation, by the Royal College of Physicians and NHS Plus, comes in the month after a Health Care Assistant was awarded a six-figure compensation payout after being forced to quit her job because of a latex allergy.
Tanya Todd was forced to quit work at Scarborough General Hospital after suffering a severe allergic reaction to the glove material. Ms Todd claimed that she had never been warned of the dangers of latex and was never told to reduce her exposure to the gloves after her symptoms developed.
The guidelines recommend switching to powder-free forms of the glove, which contain only a tenth of the latex content of powdered gloves.
Dr Syed Ahmed of East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The optimal management of latex allergy in the workplace has been unclear for a long time.
"We're delighted that our work has looked comprehensively at all the research and has established evidence-based guidelines to address this important issue."
It is believed that as many as one in six health workers suffer from latex-related problems at some time during their career.
