With around 300,000 people each year catching Healthcare-Associated Infections (HCAIs) in the UK, having a clean healthcare facility – be it a hospital, GP surgery, nursing home or outpatient clinic – is of utmost importance. Failure to keep your healthcare facility clean can lead to serious illness or death.
The arrival of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in 2020 has provided another challenge to the health and wellbeing of patients, staff and visitors in healthcare facilities. Other airborne viruses including influenza, which kills around 14,000 mostly elderly people each year in the UK, are an added challenge to keep under control.
In this blog, we’ll uncover the importance of healthcare cleaning and how you can make your facility as clean as possible.
How to improve your healthcare cleaning
Below, we’ve outlined nine healthcare facilities cleaning tips to help you ensure that your healthcare facility is as safe as possible for patients, staff and visitors.
A culture of cleaning
It’s all very well having a cleaning plan in place but what use if there is no buy-in from staff? Regular staff training and education are required to ensure that workers know when and how to clean. An understanding of healthcare cleaning’s contribution to people’s well-being and pride in maintaining standards is paramount.
Understand threats
What is likely to cause your healthcare facility to require cleaning? Which areas are likely to become dirtiest? Are there any particular times that areas need cleaning more than others? These are questions that need to be considered in order to keep on top of healthcare facilities cleaning.
Use the correct products
Do you know that there are different cleaning products for different scenarios? For example, cleaning a worktop would require a different product than cleaning medical instruments. Making sure that staff know which products to use for the most effective healthcare cleaning and colour-coding labels can be helpful in achieving this.
Don’t forget hidden surfaces
It’s not just visible areas that require cleaning. Hidden surfaces, such as the underside of desks or the inside of cupboards also need to be kept free of dirt and germs. These are just as important as high-touch areas like desktops and phones if you want to keep on top of bacteria and viruses.
Regular inspections
In order for cleaning to be effective, regular inspections must take place. This will be part of your healthcare cleaning plan, with inspections scheduled at regular intervals and recorded. This will help to ensure that cleaning has been carried out adequately and identify any areas that need work.
Effective waste management
A healthcare facility such as a hospital, GP surgery, nursing home or clinic, often has a lot of hazardous waste, be it needles or blood-soaked tissues, for example. It’s important to ensure that an adequate system is in place to dispose of such biohazards. Effective waste management can also help avoid cross-contamination.
Good air and water quality
To avoid airborne pathogens, it’s vital to have adequate air circulation or purification. Similarly, water quality needs to be monitored and equipment put in place to ensure that it does not get contaminated.
Patient and visitor education
Help patients and visitors help themselves and play a part in keeping the hospital clean. Signs and leaflets, for example, can advise them to sanitise their hands regularly.
Hire a healthcare cleaning company
Hiring a healthcare company means that you can do an excellent job of taking charge of your healthcare facility’s cleaning. See below or contact us to find out more.
What are the benefits of using a specialist company for healthcare cleaning?
Below we’ve outlined just a few of the benefits of hiring a commercial healthcare cleaning company to take responsibility for the cleaning of your hospital, GP surgery, nursing home or outpatient clinic.
A first-rate clean and healthy environment
From purified air to chemical-free products and from antimicrobial surfaces to effective waste management, patients, staff and visitors can rest assured that they are in a safe environment. The possibility of catching viruses or infections is significantly reduced, meaning potentially less time in hospital for patients and also less staff sickness in other settings.
One less thing to worry about
Recruiting a professional healthcare cleaning company like Samsic UK means that you will never have to worry about the cleanliness of your healthcare facility. Highly trained staff will carry out your bespoke cleaning plan, meaning that you can focus on other important aspects of healthcare.
A good impression
A clean healthcare facility environment will give confidence to patients and visitors that they are in safe hands. It will also ensure that your hospital, GP surgery, nursing home or outpatient clinic is a pleasant place to work for staff. A clean environment can enhance your healthcare facility’s reputation.
Save money
Hiring a professional healthcare cleaning company means that you will save money in the long run, especially as you won’t have to buy your own cleaning equipment.
Cleaning services centralised
Rather than having to deal with a variety of cleaning providers and overseeing staff, hiring a healthcare cleaning company like Samsic means that all required cleaning and management is overseen. So the healthcare facility can focus on patient care.
More storage space
With healthcare facilities becoming increasingly busy, space is becoming more scarce. Hiring a commercial healthcare cleaning company means that you won’t have to store cleaning products and equipment, freeing up space for other uses.
How Samsic UK can help with cleaning your healthcare facility
A family-run business with more than 40 years of experience, Samsic’s values run through every aspect of our international company. Our commitment to being the best will guarantee that your healthcare facility will receive top-quality cleaning.
We can take away your sheets, towels and other linen for eco-friendly washing and disinfecting, then return them spotlessly clean. You can trust us to deliver the best service, and reduce the need for your own laundry room or having to hire a specialist laundry company.
We work with clients to assess their needs, suggest improvements if necessary and then create a bespoke plan. The medical waste is then removed and disposed of as required by our highly trained and highly qualified specialist staff.
Samsic is internationally renowned as an innovator. We are continually coming up with new ideas to improve our products and services and make them sustainable and environmentally friendly. Some of these include Samsic Pure Air, Toucan Cleaning Solutions, Antimicrobial surface coating and INEOS hand sanitiser.
Contact us to find out how Samsic UK can help make your healthcare facility safer and more efficient.
FAQs
What is the basic rule of cleaning?
The basic rule of cleaning is that you undertake the process from top to bottom. This is because, whilst cleaning, dirt and dust are more likely to fall, so cleaning from top to bottom lets you remove as much dirt and dust as you can.
How do you maintain cleanliness of a facility?
Creating a cleaning schedule, making sure you’ve trained your employees on cleaning procedures, using high-quality cleaning products and inspecting your facility regularly are all ways to keep your facility as clean as possible.
