Healthcare&HospitalHygiene
Which healthcarewashroom
system...andwhere?
Which systems work best in the washrooms of a busy A & E unit? A care home or hospital ward? A doctor’s surgery? Julie Ray of Tork manufacturer SCA looks at various types of healthcare washrooms and comes up with appropriate solutions that are practical, hygienic and cost-effective.
Practising good washroomhygiene is vital for all of us if we wish to avoid contracting infections and viruses through cross-conta- mination. But it ismore crucial than ever in the washrooms of healthcare facilities. No- one wants to leave a hospital or doctor’s surgery feeling worse than they did when they arrived, but this is a real risk in an en- vironment where patientsmay be coughing and sneezing and who are likely to have weakened immune systems. However, there are different points to
consider when equipping, for example, the washroomof a care home compared to that of an intensive care ward or a busy A&E unit. Factors such as ease of use will be important in a care home where the pa- tientsmay be elderly and frail, whereas hy- giene should top the agenda in an ICU. Equipping the washrooms of an A&E de-
partment is a particular challenge since these will be frequented by staff and visi- tors as well as patients whomay be conta- gious or have open wounds. Cross-contamination needs to be avoided at all costs, while the washroomsystems chosen should also cater for large num- bers of visitors every day. The sensor-operated Tork Hand Towel
Roll works well in A&E since its touch-free operation avoids the need for any contact between user and dispenser. The fact that the high-capacity Tork Elevation dispenser gives out only one sheet of paper at a time helps to avoid over-consumption which means the towel supply is unlikely to run out betweenmaintenance checks - an oc- currence that could compromise hygiene.
New to the Tork range and ideal for A&E
washrooms is the sensor-operated Tork El- evation foamsoap dispenser. This again re- moves the need for any contact between the user and the dispenser while the sin- gle-use soap refill bottle helps to prevent cross-contamination since it is thrown away after use. TorkMild FoamSoap is a good solution here. The Tork Compact Auto Shift works well
in higher-traffic A&E washrooms where space is also restricted. The systemwill ensure a long-lasting paper supply and the compact dimensions of the dispenser means it can fit into smaller washroomcu- bicles where necessary. Care homemanagers will be seeking
Cleanliness and hygiene should be the top priority in all healthcare washrooms, but this should be coupled with factors such as ease of use, comfort, continuous supply and low cost in use as appropriate.
home-from-home systems for their wash- rooms. These should be easy to use, even for elderly people whomay be suffering fromconditions such as arthritis or rheumatism. Tork foamsoaps are particu- larly suitable here since they are housed in a Swedish RheumatismAssociation-ap- proved dispenser that has been purpose- designed to be easy to operate, even by patients with low hand-strength. Tork PremiumFolded Toilet Paper also
works well in a care home since the paper is housed in a dispenser that protects it fromcontamination and provides easy ac- cess for the frail and elderly. And another user-friendly systemfor care homes is the Tork Advanced Zigzag fold towel which makes hand drying easy since the ab- sorbent 2-ply paper towels ‘blot’ the hands dry usingminimal rubbing. Amini version is also available.
Also suitable for en suite care home
washrooms are Tork Hand and Body Lotion and Tork Premium Toilet Seat Cleaner, which can be used in conjunction with toilet tissue to clean the seat before use. The washroomat a doctor’s surgery
should be clean and well equipped to in- spire confidence on the part of the patients and avoid the risk of cross-contamination. A recent Tork survey revealed that nine out of 10 people consider it important for the washrooms at the GP surgery to be clean and sanitary - and 54% of respondents said they would be reluctant to go back to a sur- gery where the washrooms were dirty. Soft and absorbent Tork Interfold Hand
Towels help to make a favourable impres- sion and inspire patient confidence in a GP washroom. The mini version is a good op- tion for compact cubicles, and this can be teamed with the Tork Mini Jumbo Roll which ensures a long-lasting paper supply on a compact roll. A good soap choice for a GP surgery washroom is Tork Extra Mild FoamSoap which is colour and fragrance- free and contains moisturising ingredients, making it suitable for frequent use by staff. Long-lasting systems that minimise cost
in use need to be supplied in general hos- pital wards where budgets are tight. Tork Advanced Zigzag Fold Towels are the most popular hand towel choice within the NHS and a SouthWest Quality Innovation Pro- ductivity and Performance customer evalu- ation carried out in March 2011 also identified them as being the best value 2- ply hand towel. The towels are around 25% larger than some single-fold towels on the market which means that fewer towels are needed per hand dry, keeping down costs. The TorkMini Jumbo Roll also works well
on general wards, and Tork Extra Mild FoamSoap allows medical staff to wash their hands frequently without drying out their skin. This works particularly well in conjunction with Tork Hand and Body Lo- tion to allow staff to moisturise after wash- ing. This helps to prevent sore and chapped hands which is a common problem among hospital staff who may need to wash their hands around 20-30 times a day. Tork Extra Mild Liquid and Foam Soaps
are again a good option for an intensive care ward where hygiene is of paramount importance. A high quality soft hand towel - such as Tork Premium interfold hand tow- els - should be supplied in an intensive care unit to encourage good hand hygiene and provide a gentle hand dry, since a more abrasive towel could increase the risk of skin conditions such as occupational der- matitis. And Tork Premium Alcohol Gel Hand Sanitiser should be supplied as a supplement to hand hygiene. Cleanliness and hygiene should be the
top priority in all healthcare washrooms, but this should be coupled with factors such as ease of use, comfort, continuous supply and low cost in use as appropriate. Your washroom hygiene supplier will be happy to talk through the healthcare wash- room options available.
www.tork.co.uk
26 l C&M l APRIL 2013 l
www.cleaninghub.net
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