Contracting out
not consider offloading some of the burden and think about contracting out? We probably employ an accountant,
and we have the water system, the lifts, and the heating services inspected and serviced, so why not do same for the plant room and services operation, the cleaning, the kitchen, the laundry, health and safety auditing, infection prevention controls, auditing, and general operational performance monitoring. All of these could boost your CQC rating and free up more time to care for the residents. Consider just one particular chore, the laundering of bed linen, towels, and residents’ clothing, each quite different and requiring specific attention to hygiene, cleanliness, and quality. In normal times, always fraught with problems, not least when a special item of clothing shrinks or changes colour, or a machine breaks down, but the issues really kick in when there is an infection outbreak. The root causes of infection are manifold, and while clinical in essence, the vectors for transmission of bacteria or viruses are physical, so procedures such as laundering must be correctly managed. Much has been learnt over the last few years, and we should now be prepared to implement the required procedures to stay safe at all times. The CQC Toolkit identifies some of the key elements in the laundering process which should be followed and the following provides more detailed information on how to ensure hygienic quality at all stages. Recent surveys by certain commercial
laundry equipment manufacturers, the industrial laundry trade association, and a prominent UK university revealed that,
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Consider offloading some of the burden and think about contracting out
in many care homes, the staff did not feel that the laundry was correctly managed to prevent cross contamination and achieve hygienic quality. Similarly, there was found to be a total lack of knowledge concerning laundry technology and recognised healthcare laundering standards, and that trust was placed in simply loading the machine, pressing the right button, and relying on the detergent to do the work. The essential requirement for separation
of soiled from clean linen in the laundry room and the protection of clean work from further contamination were often disregarded. Antimicrobial resistance is a global problem that makes infections harder to treat with existing medicines. High standards of IPC reduce the opportunities for infections to spread and for resistance to develop, which is why the government guidance was developed.
Laundry: what you need to know There are Department of Health guidance documents, and detergent suppliers and machinery manufacturers can provide technical advice, but care home staff and management team must possess the required knowledge and competence. This will require to be demonstrated by staff training records, laundry process specifications, process parameter check
logs, and quality control records, and may be requested at CQC audits. The trade association for the industrial laundry sector, the Textile Services Association (TSA), works in close harmony with the healthcare sector and many of its members provide laundry services to care homes, hospitals, and clinics. This often includes the supply of bed linen, towels, and uniforms. TSA can provide consultative services to guide and assist your compliance with a wide range of laundry, engineering, technical and energy requirements. For example:
n Do you have a copy of the Department of Health HTM01-04 (4 part suite) guidance on decontamination of linen for health and social care? Are you aware of the principles of this document and able to make reference to and demonstrate how your laundry procedures comply?
n Do you have a flow chart or written description of the key stages of the laundry service procedures which apply to bed linen and towels, resident clothing, and staff uniforms?
n Can you demonstrate and reference the special procedures which you would implement for the laundry process in the event of any bacterial or viral outbreak and how to procure, use, launder, or dispose of PPE?
n Does your laundry have the facilities and equipment to ensure clean and safe separation of soiled work and clean work at all stages of the service?
n Are you familiar with the basic procedures for recognising fabric types, understanding the care label symbols, separating
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com November 2023
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