Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance NHS England provides to NHS Trusts on the use of (1) licensed medical products, and (2) unlicensed biocidal products, for perioperative skin preparation.

Best practice on preventing surgical site infections, including skin preparation before surgery, is set out in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline NG125, Surgical site infections: prevention and treatment. NICE guidelines describe evidence‑based best practice, and National Health Service organisations are expected to take them fully into account when designing and delivering services that meet the needs of their local populations.

Professional organisations, including the Association for Perioperative Practice and the Centre for Perioperative Care, provide practical guidance for clinical teams. Each NHS trust is then responsible for its own local policy, setting out clearly which products to use, how they should be applied, and how practice is monitored, based on this national guidance.