Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that taps in hospitals can be used without contact.

In England, the design and construction of all healthcare building projects in National Health Service organisations require input and approval from Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) teams, this includes taps and doors.

Guidance provided to the NHS on the infection control in building design is the Health Building Note 00-09: ‘Infection control in the built environment’. This includes the consideration of hands-free operation of utilities including taps and other facilities including automatic doors and proximity sensors. The guidance states the importance of consulting the IPC team throughout a building or renovation project with their advice and recommendations being considered and documented.