CLEANING & HYGIENE


Upholding High Levels of Hygiene


Chris Wakefield, Vice President of European Marketing & Product Development at GOJO


Industries, explains how care and nursing home establishments can help protect residents and staff during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.


A clean environment is essential to the safety and wellbeing of residents and patients, so it is paramount that the management of care and nursing homes takes a proactive approach to hygiene and safety. The coronavirus pandemic has brought this into sharp focus, as the number of COVID-19 cases in these settings continues to rise.


Hygiene and infection prevention have become the number one priority, to protect staff, as well as elderly residents, who have weaker immune systems and are therefore at higher risk. Until a vaccine has been found, this dangerous virus remains a serious threat to the general public, especially the more vulnerable in society.


However, even once a preventative vaccination has been developed, we must not rest on our laurels when it comes to infection prevention. Germs are all around – did you know, for example, that up to 80% of all infections are transmitted by the hands? Or that contaminated hands can sequentially transfer some viruses onto seven surfaces, and fourteen people can be infected by touching the same object?


You don’t need to do the maths to see how one person’s illness can spread so widely and quickly; especially in environments where people are in constant, close contact with each other, such as care and nursing homes. That’s why having an


effective hand and surface hygiene system in place should be a key infection prevention strategy in these settings.


HEALTHY SURFACES


Preliminary investigations suggest that COVID-19 may persist on surfaces for a few hours or up to several days. Therefore, all surfaces must be frequently sanitised to help stop infections spreading from one area or building to another. This is especially important in food preparation areas and at high contact touch points, such as door handles or telephones.


Highly effective and quick to use, PURELL sanitising sprays and wipes are specifically designed to meet surface sanitising needs. Suitable for a range of surfaces, they are fast acting, bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal, so can be used with complete confidence.


HEALTHY HANDS


As a founder member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Private Organisations for Patient Safety group, GOJO has always been a strong advocate of making hand hygiene second nature to everyone. Aſter all, it has been proven to break the chain of infection and help prevent the spread of germs. The current mass awareness of the best hand washing and sanitising techniques must continue going forwards.


To ensure maximum compliance from staff, residents, and visitors (once the social distancing measures are liſted), a combination approach is required, including easy access to dispensers, effective formulations, and visual displays. Hand washing or sanitising facilities must be readily available and dispensers simple-to-use. Consider placing additional hand sanitising stations at the main entry/exit points to the building, as well as by the washroom door.


Due to residents’ fragile skin, formulations must be gentle whilst remaining effective against germs (conforming to key norms EN 1500, EN 14476 and EN 12791). Posters or notices act as a prompt, not only reminding people to wash their hands, but also how to do it effectively.


Outbreaks of any kind of virus can have serious consequences in care homes and other health settings, but by putting effective surface and hand hygiene systems in place, managers of these facilities can help safeguard their residents and staff against the risk of infection.


www.GOJO.com. - 16 - www.tomorrowscare.co.uk


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