CLEANING & HYGIENE
CRITICAL CLEANING POINTS
Washrooms, kitchens, bedside tables – how can care home cleaners ensure that these critical cleaning points are kept free of germs and contamination at all times? Liam Mynes from Tork manufacturer Essity considers the issue.
Care homes tend to be close-knit communities. They are places where large groups of people live closely together, many of whom are frail and vulnerable. It is therefore inevitable that the residents will experience more than their fair share of outbreaks.
High levels of seasonal flu and norovirus were reported in UK care homes this winter, for example, while several incidents of scabies, a highly contagious skin condition, also occured.
These types of infections and viruses are usually relatively trivial for the general population. However, they can prove fatal for anyone who is vulnerable, elderly or immuno-suppressed. So, it is important to reduce the chances of infections taking hold and spreading in the care home.
This is where cleaning protocols come in. Thorough cleaning needs to take place in residential facilities to curb outbreaks and to keep all residents safe. However, there are some surfaces that are much more prone to contamination than others.
Washrooms, kitchens and bedside areas all have surfaces that are frequently touched which makes them critical cleaning points in a care home. Other key areas that need frequent attention include door handles, handrails, light switches, call bells and remote controls.
Surfaces such as overbed tables, bed rails and bedside cabinets need to be cleaned daily while it is important that any shared equipment such as hoists, wheelchairs, commodes and walking frames are cleaned and disinfected between each use.
All surfaces in the kitchens and dining areas need to be cleaned before and after each use, with floors needing a scrub at the end of each shiſt. And the bathrooms and toilets also require a thorough daily clean with particular attention being applied to the taps, flushes and dispensers.
Care home cleaners are currently having a tough time and this makes it a major challenge to adhere to such a gruelling schedule.
A recent study revealed that around half of all care homes in the UK are struggling to recruit new staff members with 14.8% of them claiming to face significant staffing issues. A combination of low pay and restrictions to overseas recruitments have recently made the sector less attractive to care home cleaners.
Meanwhile, staff shortages in other areas of the care home are forcing cleaners to take on extra tasks such as assisting with residents’ meals, which puts further pressure on their own responsibilities. These issues are said to be having a direct impact on levels of cleanliness as well as general standards of resident care. So, what can be done to change this situation?
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www.tomorrowscare.co.uk
Care home cleaners need to be methodical in their approach, particularly when they are overstretched. They need to understand the importance of cleaning all equipment and surfaces in the right order to avoid the risk of recontamination. They should also be supplied with a clear checklist to ensure that no critical cleaning task is ever allowed to fall through the cracks.
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