COVER STORY
Don’t Let Laundry Get You In A Spin
Care home laundry service company Berendsen puts forward its case as to why outsourcing laundry services could be the best option for care homes.
Often relegated to the back of the mind, in-house laundry operations are less effective than a lot of care homes currently realise. Outsourcing can be a better alternative as it lets businesses take back control.
Managing in-house laundry processes is an arduous and time-consuming task that is made all the more difficult by the challenges and cost pressures today’s care sector is battling against. Although hygienically clean linen and residents’ clothing is naturally an essential part of care home best practice, the issues many businesses face with their on-site laundries are becoming a real concern and can frequently distract staff away from doing what they do best – caring for residents.
Research has shown that the seemingly routine task of laundry is adversely impacting on the time and energy of residential and nursing home staff. Indeed, one in seven care homes report that their current in-house laundry set-up is simply ineffective and too time consuming for its workforce.
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RELIABILITY Reliability is especially worrying for many and more than 60% of homes say that washing or drying machine breakdowns are causing the most trouble of all laundry problems. Furthermore, over half of homes across the country suffer these types of breakdowns at least every six months and some reported as many as four a year, causing tremendous stress for residents, staff and management alike on a regular basis.
LOST PROPERTY Another considerable problem is that of lost articles. A recent survey found that missing items of clothing or linen are one of the most common laundry issues experienced, with 81% of care homes reporting that they have lost something at some point and one in ten admitting this to be a frequent occurrence. Beyond the loss of capital to the business, the personal loss of a resident’s cherished item could result in severe psychological distress and create a culture of mistrust towards staff and the business, damaging its reputation – often irrevocably.
PRACTICALITY The practical aspects of running an on-site laundry are also a cause for concern in many care homes. Large industrial washing and drying machines take up a huge amount of space – something that is often at a premium in homes that are trying to accommodate as many people as possible to cope with the rising demand for residential care. In fact, one in four care homes identified a need for more space for laundry. Time is also another factor, as even the most efficient laundries are especially labour intensive.
MAKING CHANGES All of these individual complications collectively create a far bigger problem that can sometimes fall under the radar as laundry is often relegated to the back of the mind as staff try to focus on more pressing day-to-day issues. However, they are not going to go away and will only cause further obstacles to optimum care if the in-house laundry operation is not dealt with effectively. Care home managers are beginning to
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