New study


Improving laundry practices: critical for infection prevention


Sapphire Crosby, Janet McMahon, Joy Allen, Jackie Hoo, Kathryn Hinsliff-Smith, and Katie Laird present the findings of a new study by De Montfort University and the Infection Prevention Society’s Care Home Special Interest Group, where over 1,000 care home staff provided critical insights into current practices and areas for improvement around laundry processing within care home settings


Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a cornerstone of care home management, ensuring the health and safety of some of society’s most vulnerable individuals. While often overlooked, laundry management is a vital aspect of IPC, with over 17,000 care homes in the UK who between them launder over 450,000 individuals’ bedding and personal items. Poor practices in handling and laundering textiles can facilitate the transmission of infectious disease, posing risks to both residents and staff. Recent research by De Montfort University and the Infection Prevention Society (IPS) Care Home Special Interest Group (SIG) has highlighted the need for standardised, evidence-based guidance and training to aid care homes in effective IPC process for laundry. In the UK, infection control policies exist (Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 01-04 –Decontamination of linen for health and social care) that provide guidance for laundries that process healthcare linens.


This includes dealing with any laundry used in any health and adult social care settings, including care homes. However, the accessibility, usability, and implementation of these policies within care home settings – and how these policies are monitored – is not widely known.


The CQC emphasises the need for IPC policies that are specific to the operational context of each care home. In addition, the NHS provides comprehensive guidelines for environmental cleaning and laundry management as part of broader infection prevention strategies, recommending clear segregation between clean and soiled linens, adequate laundering temperatures, and the use of appropriate detergents.


The hidden risks of laundry mismanagement Textiles in care homes, including bed linens, uniforms, and personal clothing, can harbour pathogens. Research studies have demonstrated that microorganisms


such as Clostridioides difficile, methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and norovirus can survive on fabrics under suboptimal laundering conditions. For instance, C. difficile spores can withstand standard laundering processes without adequate disinfection, remaining viable and infectious. Similarly, norovirus, a common cause of gastrointestinal illness, persists on textiles, contributing to rapid transmission during outbreaks.


The pandemic further highlighted the


vulnerabilities of care homes, with the coronavirus shown to survive on textiles for up to 72 hours. This emphasises the critical need for robust infection control practices tailored to the unique challenges of care homes. Inadequate segregation of soiled and clean laundry, improper washing temperatures, and insufficient staff training exacerbate these risks, making effective laundry management a priority.


Development of new guidance To address these challenges, the Textile Services Association funded research on current IPC policies, knowledge, and behaviour of laundry management in care homes, including assessing barriers to implementing such policies and attitudes towards laundering. A national laundry management working group via the IPS Care Home SIG was then established to create comprehensive guidance tailored to care homes. This effort involved collaboration between education specialists, scientists, nursing practitioners with expertise in the care home arena from the perspective of NHS foundation trusts, local authorities, private care home groups, health protection, and county councils. The guidance development process emphasised co- creation, the rationale for IPC processes, and


April 2025 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com 35


Monkey Business - stock.adobe.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44