CLEANING & HYGIENE


requirements. This allows care teams to stay ahead of the game and use a smartphone, tablet or computer to remotely check on which dispensers are running low and which washrooms are receiving high levels of traffic. They can then anticipate situations in which enhanced cleaning or extra checks might be required.


Good training is vital to ensure that care home staff and cleaners understand the importance of proper cleaning and hygiene. Research from Essity reveals that 58% cent of cleaning staff in care homes say they find it challenging to follow all the required steps and tasks in cleaning guidelines. And 68% of employees claim they would like to receive better and more interactive training in hand hygiene.


“Automated systems can now


take on the most difficult cleaning tasks, freeing up staff to tackle more detailed work.”


Essity offers two free online training solutions for care home staff. Tork Cleaning Training for Long Term Care Homes provides employees with 'real world' cleaning scenarios in a safe virtual world. The training has been developed in collaboration with the Association for Healthcare Environment and can be customised to fit with local cleaning guidelines.


They can even respond to facial cues and detect when a resident is displaying anxiety or confusion, then change the mood by displaying a prized family photo or throwing in a joke. And the machines can be linked to wearable sensors that provide insights into residents’ health conditions.


But despite their obvious potential, it appears that care home robots have not yet taken off on a grand scale. There are a number of theories why this might be the case, not least of which is the relatively high cost of the units. There is also some evidence to suggest that robots can actually create extra work for caregivers.


However, one area in which robots – and technology in general – is proving particularly useful is in the cleaning sector. Automated systems can now take on the most difficult cleaning tasks, freeing up staff to tackle more detailed work.


For example, a team of robotic vacuum cleaners was deployed in a government-funded trial in 25 UK care homes during the Covid-19 pandemic. ATP testing equipment and antiviral surface cleaners were also used to ensure a more thorough clean.


As a result of the measures, pathogen levels dropped by an average of 41% in just three days aſter the trial was implemented.


As familiarity with smart solutions increases, the stage opens up for other solutions that can make life easier for care homes amid staff shortages and infection concerns.


For example, Tork Vision Cleaning uses people-counters and connected dispensers to provide real-time data on cleaning


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The second module, Tork Clean Hands Training for Long Term Care Homes, equips staff members with the day-to-day skills they require to secure hand hygiene at every moment. It has been developed with leading hygiene experts using the WHO My Four Moments for Hand Hygiene in a residential home environment. And the interactive simulation – which has been designed to make hand hygiene learning more inspiring – is available both online and in a virtual reality format.


Hospitals are ahead of the curve in terms of using technological solutions to improve efficiencies. For example, a cleaning robot joined the Royal Surrey NHS Trust team in 2021 in a bid to improve quality and consistency. The machine allows human cleaners to concentrate on critical areas for infection transmission such as handrails, door handles, liſts and doors to wards.


Meanwhile, Chloe the floor-cleaning robot has joined the Stoke Mandeville Hospital cleaning team where its expressive ‘eyes’ and humorous banter are making it a particular hit on the children’s ward. And Akara’s new decontamination robot is being trialled at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to allow for a quicker turnaround of critical rooms aſter medical procedures had taken place.


It is only a matter of time before technology evolves to become much more effective in the care home as well. And this will be a huge benefit because it will help to improve outcomes and free up staff members’ time for human interactions with residents.


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