Cover story – advertising feature


few personal items they bring with them. This makes it even more important to ensure that they are cared for correctly. We always encourage care homes to ensure that personal items are washed at the correct temperature. Occasionally we see care homes washing all items at the hottest temperatures which damages clothes, takes longer, and costs more. It is only red bag laundry which needs thermal disinfection as per HTM01-04 guidelines. The winner of the 2023 Laundry


Hero award, Waratthaya Watters, was commended by her housekeeping manager Claire Wallis because of her “excellent attention to detail and her commitment to her work. Our laundry processes high- quality cashmere garments that need specific care. Our residents have confidence in Waratthaya’s ability to properly care for their treasured garments.” Teamwork and collaboration are another


central theme throughout the three years of submissions. Laundry staff work together to cover shifts effectively and work with the wider care home team to identify and address potential infection risks. When you examine the laundry process end-to-end, it is clear why working together is so important. From the moment the laundry is collected from residents’ rooms, teamwork is central to success. Whoever is collecting the laundry needs


to be very clear on the process, wearing a disposable apron and gloves to protect themselves and sorting the laundry as soon as it is collected into sheets, towels, personal items, and red bag laundry, using trollies with separate containers. This minimises handling of dirty laundry, ensures red bag laundry is kept separately from other items, and is also more efficient, aiding productivity within the laundry. It also reduces the chance of residents’ personal items being washed at the wrong


temperature. After the laundry has been processed,


anyone in the care home who interacts with the clean linen must understand their part in protecting it and minimising any contamination. Ideally, clean linen should only be touched four times: when it is moved from the washing machine to the dryer, when it is folded, when it is stored, and when it is given to the resident. Beverley Andrews, property administration manager for Sense Residential Care ,who won the 2023 Care Home Group Award, recognised the importance of staff understanding the part they must play. They demonstrated great laundry practices “by having made changes to our processes making laundry care a more important part of our business … our staff provide a safer and more hygienic service by installing better equipment and providing more information to staff about how to care for laundry.”


The 2024 Awards


Nominations for the 2024 Love Laundry Awards will open at the beginning of June with the opportunity to win prizes for both individuals and care homes. The winners will be announced at Care Show Birmingham in October, and we hope that care homes will take the opportunity to nominate the people and teams that they work with. Long-term service and loyalty are a prevalent theme throughout the submissions. Lots of nominees have dedicated many years to their roles with a strong sense of belonging to their homes. They weather challenges, support changes, and remain committed. The Love Laundry Awards were created to


May 2024 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


help recognise these sometimes forgotten staff and every year it is a fantastic opportunity to meet and celebrate those people who make a difference in care homes up and down the country.


Visit www.washco.co.uk/ lovelaundryawards if you would like to be reminded when nominations open.


Emily Stoten


Emily Stoten is WASHCO’s marketing director. New to the industry in 2020, she created the awards out of a desire from WASHCO to recognise and celebrate the people they work with across the UK.


WASHCO


Tel: 08000 546 546 Email: info@washco.co.uk Web: www.washco.co.uk


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