HEALTHCARE HYGIENE


Regaining control in the hospital


Cleaning and hygiene have become more critical than ever in Ireland’s hospitals, where overcrowding has been described as rampant. Liam Smith from Tork manufacturer Essity looks at ways of easing the burden on cleaners and healthcare staff, in a bid to break the deadlock.


‘Out of control’ – that’s the phrase repeatedly being used about Ireland’s hospitals during the current crisis.


In January – the height of the winter flu season – the number of people waiting on trolleys in hospital corridors reached an all-time high of 931 during a single morning. The situation was still bleak during the early May Bank Holiday, with more than 700 people waiting for beds at peak times.


New Health Service Executive (HSE) boss Bernard Gloster was so concerned about the situation that he pleaded with healthcare staff to volunteer for extra shifts over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend. He hoped to avoid the ‘dreadful position’ in which hospitals had found themselves earlier in May.


One of the causes of the crisis is a general shortage of healthcare staff. This has become a global issue since the pandemic because many operatives left the profession after COVID, or returned to their home countries during lockdowns.


It’s not just the medical personnel who are in short supply. Hospital cleaners are also thin on the ground, with those remaining in the industry being expected to achieve more with fewer staff members each day.


The fact that more people are being crowded into the country’s hospitals makes cleaning and hygiene more crucial than ever. However, it is also a greater challenge for staff to achieve thorough cleanliness and optimum hand hygiene when there are fewer cleaners and medical operatives on hand.


10 | TOMORROW'S CLEANING IRELAND


Busy doctors and nurses will inevitably struggle to make time for scrupulous hand hygiene when treating patients. Meanwhile, cleaners will have their work cut out to ensure a thorough clean of all hospital surfaces in an environment where viruses are perennially rife and where there is a real risk of cross-contamination.


According to World Health Organization (WHO) guidance, healthcare staff need to wash their hands before touching a patient, before carrying out any aseptic procedure, after exposure to bodily fluid, after touching a patient and after touching the patient’s surroundings.


Soiled hands should be washed with soap and water for between 40 and 60 seconds, and then thoroughly dried to ensure a thorough clean. If the hands are not visibly soiled, an alcohol gel product may be used instead for a period of 20-30 seconds.


Most healthcare workers will have little spare time to carry out the regular 60 second handwashes the WHO advocates. So, it’s important that hospitals make the whole process as easy and seamless as possible.


Soap and paper dispensers should be situated close at hand and must be kept topped up at all times. These units should also be easy to use because it can take up valuable time trying to extract towels from an overfilled dispenser, or attempting to coax a faulty soap unit to work.


The Tork Skincare Dispenser has been designed to be particularly easy to use even for people with low hand


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