Infection control Inivos are leading experts in UV-C


as well as hydrogen peroxide vapour (HPV) decontamination technology, services and assessments that identify and eliminate viruses, bacteria and other contaminants from hospitals and businesses. Since Inivos was founded in Kings Lynn


in 2007, it has worked with hundreds of organisations around the world – including more than a third of NHS Trusts – to eradicate potentially dangerous pathogenic microorganisms and ensure spaces are safe for habitation. UV-C light decontamination is often


a popular choice for clinical settings, such as hospitals – with Inivos providing over 40 per cent of NHS Trusts with decontamination technology. The technology ensures a high level of efficacy while also being able to decontaminate in a space in a short space of time, ensuring minimal disruption to a care home environment.


Proactive decontamination According to the World Health Organisation, up to 80 per cent of coronavirus infections are asymptomatic or present only mild symptoms.2


many people are unaware that they are infected, the virus can spread quickly through close contact with others and by breathing in infected droplets. Therefore, it is vital that care homes


are proactively decontaminating spaces, especially as many people who


Because


contract Covid-19 are asymptomatic and therefore unaware that they might be spreading the virus. With this in mind, it is vital that care homes deploy proactive decontamination in high foot fall spaces, even if no Covid-19 cases have been detected. Wessex Care has continued to


proactively decontaminate high footfall spaces to mitigate the risk of transmission, such as visiting areas. This proactive decontamination can help to ensure staff and patients are protected against any dangerous pathogens that guests might be unintentionally bringing in. Furthermore, scheduled proactive


decontamination is key to minimising disruption to environments such as care homes where managers will want to ensure that the process is as smooth as possible. Therefore, it is important to take into consideration resident flow to understand when to schedule decontamination. By analysing the spaces used by


residents, care home managers can easily determine which spaces are busiest and when. Once this has been understood, care home managers can identify quiet times and when a deep clean and decontamination should take place, to ensure resident’s daily routines are not disrupted. The use of UV-C light technology


means that the decontamination cycle can be completed quickly, within minutes as opposed to other types of decontamination technology such as


March 2021 • www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


HPV that can take hours. HPV decontamination does have benefits despite the increased time it takes to deploy, it is useful for areas that are at particularly high risk of cross- contamination, such as operating theatres or utility rooms, as well as being able to thoroughly decontaminate all folds of the room. Of course, in addition to a proactive cleaning schedule, reactive decontamination remains a crucial part of managing an outbreak of Covid-19 if an infection has been confirmed. Therefore, once an infection has been confirmed, it is equally vital to deploy a deep clean followed by a decontamination cycle to make this space safe for habitation and prevent cross- contamination.


Identifying high-risk areas In order for care homes to ensure they are continuing to lessen the risk of transmission of the Covid-19 virus, it is key to identify any high-risk areas that might need to be deep cleaned and decontaminated more regularly or before inhabiting. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Wessex


Care was asked by the NHS and Wiltshire Council if it could change their current rehabilitation service into a dedicated Hospital Discharge Support Unit. This was to help better patient flow from local hospitals with Covid-positive patients who needed nursing support. To allow for this, Wessex Care changed the use of one of their buildings and set up


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