Healthcare EstablishmentHygiene Taking to the floor atClaneHospital
3MScotchgard Resilient Floor Protector has put an added gloss on public percep- tions of hygiene at Clane Hospital in County Kildare, Ireland, by delivering clean and shiny floors that reflect the hospital’s high standards. Few environments place such high de-
mands on hygiene and cleanliness as oper- ating theatres. So when Clane wanted to improve public perceptions about floor cleanliness it turned to Industrial Cleaning Equipment (ICE) for help. ICE recommended that the hospital trial
new Scotchgard Resilient Floor Protector from3Mon one of its theatre corridors where the floors were prone to scratching and staining. The hospital was so im- pressed with its performance that it has since applied the floor protector throughout the three operating theatres, corridors and recovery room, resulting in glossy floors which not only lookmuch cleaner, but are quicker, easier and cheaper tomaintain. “Themelamine floors at Clane Hospital
were being scrubbed and sanitised every day but their appearance suggested other- wise,” explained Sue Poole, UKmarketing manager for 3MBuilding & Commercial Services. “The problemlay with the tradi- tional acrylic floor finish they were using
3MScotch-Brite surface preparation pads. Two coats of Scotchgard Resilient Floor Protector were then applied to the clean melamine creating a tough, protective bar- rier with a high-shine finish. Scotchgard Resilient’s hard and durable
surface is up to twice as resistant to abra- sion as traditional floor finishes when tested under laboratory conditions. So Clane can expect to enjoy the benefits for up to a year, withminimalmaintenance. And unlike conventional coatings which re- quire chemical stripping, Scotchgard Re- silient Floor Protector can be spot-repaired with simple scrubbing,making isolated scratches and unsightly scuffmarks very quick and economical to remove. “Using Scotchgard Resilient Floor Pro-
Scotchgard Resilient’s surface is claimed to be up to twice as resistant to abrasion as traditional floor finishes.
which was susceptible to scuffing and yel- lowing. Not only did the floors have to be chemically stripped and reapplied at regu- lar intervals - a costly and inconvenient process - but they would quickly revert to looking dull and worn.” A contractor was appointed to strip the multiple layers of old acrylic coating using
Hands up for better hygiene
An estimated 10,000 cases of C.Difficile occur in the UK each year and around 10% of these are fatal. Since the start of July 2013, the current year for the Health Pro- tection Agency’s Hospital Norovirus Out- break Reporting Scheme (HNORS), there have been 342 suspected or confirmed cases of Norovirus, 95% of which caused ward closures or restrictions on admis- sions. The headline Norovirus figures ap- pear to be lower than the previous reporting year which is clearly good news but anything that causes additional suffer- ing for patients or places more pressure on already stretched hospital resources must be avoided wherever possible. Inci- dences of
E.Coli and Salmonella appear to be rising. Common infections like these aremost
readily spread by personal contact or touching contaminated surfaces. This is why hand hygiene is always at the forefront of infection prevention in hospitals and care homes. It should be central to any health- care cleaning operation and there can be no compromise. The dual demands of effective personal
hygiene and surface disinfection are re- flected in theWorld Health Organisation’s ‘fivemoments of hand hygiene’ which rec- ommends that healthcare workers wash their hands: before patient contact; before an antiseptic task; following the risk of ex- posure to body fluids; following patient con- tact; and following contact with the surroundings of patients. These simple precautions cover thema-
jority of situations and should always be employed by anyone working in a health- care setting, including the cleaning staff. Diversey Care supports the fivemoments
of hand hygiene and offers a complete range of products including disinfectant soaps,moisturisers and alcohol rubs which
24 l C&M l APRIL 2014 l
www.cleaninghub.net
TheWHO’s ‘five moments of hand hygiene’ recommends that healthcareworkers wash their hands: before patient contact; before an antiseptic task; following the risk of exposure to body fluids; following patient contact; and following contactwith the surroundings of patients.
are available in a variety of formulations and formats. The range includes products for regular use, frequent use, food prepara- tion areas, and by people with allergies. But hand hygiene is only part of the story.
Equally important is the need to disinfect surfaces so that any contamination present is removed before it has a chance to spread. On this basis, cleaning processes must focus on the surfaces that aremost frequently touched by patients, staff and visitors. These will include door handles, light switches, bed frames, bedside tables, furniture and electronic devices such as telephones and TV remotes. Diversey Care offers a comprehensive range to provide healthcare cleaning teams with complete choice to select the daily cleaning and
tector has enabled Clane Hospital to signif- icantly reduce the time and cost required to achieve clean and shiny floors that reflect its high standards,” saidMark Gannon, sales executive, Industrial Cleaning Equip- ment (ICE). Clane’smaintenancemanager, PatMul-
hall, added: “Scotchgard Resilient Floor Protector is a 100%improvement on what we had before. Now our theatre floors are not only spotlessly clean - they look it too.”
www.3M.co.uk/facilities
problemsolver products uniquely suited to their particular requirements. Diversey Care is an active partner and
participant with theWHO on a number of wider healthcare programmes. Over the nextmonth the company is supporting the build-up to theWHO’s annual ‘Save lives - clean your hands day’ onMonday 5May with a series of activities designed to raise awareness and engage with the public and its customers to promote the significance of hand hygiene. As part of this campaign the company is
organising a competition for people around the world to create their own unique art- works based around a hand-shaped tem- plate. Submitted designs will be used alongside contributions fromthe com- pany’s own employees, business partners and customers to create uniquemurals that will be installed at itsmain facilities duringMay.
www.diversey.com
Addenbrooke's staff receive specialist training
Healthcare services providerMedirest has enlisted training specialist Jig- saw Training to deliver apprenticeships to its front line colleagues working in Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.Jigsaw’s partnership withMedirest, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, will see around 31Medirest col- leagues receive specialist training over a 12 to 18month period. The courses on offer include a Level 2 apprenticeship in cleaning and
environmental support and a Level 2 apprenticeship in food and beverage services, both of which include functional skills inmaths and English. Medirest supervisors will also take on a Level 3 apprenticeship in cleaning supervision. Trainees will be assessed using a combination of practical and theory tests and they can access additional sup-
port and information through Jigsaw Training’s online learning portal. The apprenticeships have beenmade avail- able to day, night, and weekend colleagues at the hospital,making the scheme one of the first of its kind. Donna Russell, training officer atMedirest, said: “We’ve found in the past that training for weekend and evening
colleagues just wasn’t available becausemost training providers will only operateMonday to Friday, nine to five. Jigsaw’s training is very flexible and as an organisation we’re really pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to all of our colleagues. The feedback we’ve had has been excellent. Tutors arrive as and when our trainees need themand are very hands-on in their approach. The courses have huge benefits - our colleagues are developed within their roles and gain skills inmaths and English, and hopefully the training will result in increased perform- ance in all areas. The courses have also boostedmorale because they lead to a nationally recognised qualification of which our colleagues can be proud.”
www.jigsaw-training.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48