IT may not even have crossed your mind.

And even if it has, you may have thought it too embarrassing to ask your nurse or doctor if they have washed their hands before they tend to you.

But York is at the forefront of a new drive for cleanliness at hospitals across the country - and under the scheme, patients will be encouraged to check on their carers' habits.

Workers at York Hospital will be taking part in the project by using special alcohol-based cleansing gels to wash their hands.

They will be able to wear small bottles of the gel attached to their belts so that they find it easy to "scrub up" between patients.

Staff will also wear badges saying it is all right for patients to ask if their hands are clean.

Dr Colin Jones, consultant physician with the York Hospitals NHS Trust, said hand hygiene was a high priority, but there were many obstacles in the way.

"A nurse in intensive care, for example, may need to wash their hands 40 times in any one hour," he said.

He said he hoped the six-month trial would bring a real change in behaviour, with long-term benefits for all.

Updated: 08:46 Tuesday, July 15, 2003