HEALTHCARE HYGIENE
Cleaning up inwashrooms
Paul Mulready, Marketing Manager at Northwood, offers advice on what healthcare settings should look for in a washroom.
Every element of a healthcare setting has an impact on patient care, and one of the priorities to get right is the washroom.
Washrooms in hospitals, clinics, GP practices or dental surgeries should be safe, clean and accessible for patients, visitors and health professionals. They
should be well designed, provide good hygiene and be able to cope with heavy footfall. They should also make a good impression on visitors, too.
Promoting hygiene is vital in any healthcare setting. One of the greatest challenges is preventing infection in the first place. Germs can transmit easily though coughs and sneezes and hand to hand contact, so good hand hygiene is essential.
When it comes to dispensers, providers should choose touch-free, easy-clean systems to maintain high hygiene standards, whilst reducing the time needed for cleaning and maintenance. Healthcare settings will be used by people of all ages and abilities, so it’s essential to choose dispensers anyone can easily operate.
Washrooms will experience more traffic and will be in constant use throughout the day by patients, visitors and staff. They should therefore feature durable, impact- resistant and lockable units which can cope with heavy use.
Patients may also judge the quality of care they receive by the condition of the washroom. A clean, hygienic space will give someone confidence the healthcare environment is good.
Encouraging good hand hygiene
In healthcare settings, frequent and thorough handwashing and drying is still one of the best ways to combat infection. Handwashing and sanitising products should therefore be readily available in washrooms. They can also be placed in prominent high-traffic areas, such as corridors, too. Soap and paper dispensers should be quick and easy to operate to encourage people to use them. They should also be well- stocked and easy to refill to avoid run-outs.
Soap dispensers should be high capacity and deliver a generous shot to encourage single, efficient use. They
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should ideally be non-drip to help keep spaces clean and each new soap cartridge should include a new nozzle to minimise the likelihood of bacteria harbouring.
Bacteria transmits faster on wet hands, so paper towel dispensers should provide a long-lasting supply of towels to encourage people to dry their hands thoroughly.
A mechanical hands-free roll towel dispenser is a good option in healthcare environments. As well as optimising hygiene because the user does not need to touch the unit, these dispensers tend to offer a higher paper capacity than folded towels.
A practical washroom solution
The Raphael proprietary washroom system from Northwood is, for instance, a good solution for healthcare environments, providing superior hygiene whilst offering strong environmental benefits. Delivering on cost-in-use, performance and sustainability, the high-capacity Raphael collection includes two toilet tissue dispensers, four hand towel dispensers, plus a soap dispenser.
Designed to optimise hygiene in the highest traffic washrooms, the Raphael hand drying dispensers provide contactless dispensing for added hygiene. Made from a single-piece shell, they are easy to wipe clean and all towels and rolls are fully enclosed for added hygiene.
The roll towel dispensers hold up to 250 sheets each, providing around 500 dries, with some offering stub-roll transfer to ensure zero waste. The hand drying systems dispense flat sheets one at a time to avoid overuse, and the folded towel dispenser has a 1,000-sheet capacity. The dispensers do not to free roll, helping to reduce overuse.
Washrooms play a key role in maintaining good hand hygiene in healthcare environments and, with the right solutions in place, they can really help to fight infections and germs.
For further information, call 01952 236 930 or visit the website below.
www.northwood.co.uk x.com/TomoCleaning
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