The DHSC have released a timeline of when they expect to run out of stock of their free PPE (available here.) From March 2023, the DHSC stock of Nitrile and Vinyl gloves will start to run out. We have been in constant discussion with DHSC over the past few years to ensure we have a good supply of stock as they begin to phase out the supply of free PPE. Wightman & Parrish continue to have plenty of stock of Vinyl, Nitrile, Latex and Synthetic Gloves, available here at great prices.
Topics: infection control, healthcare, Hand Hygiene
Protecting residents, staff, and visitors from infections is a core requirement in care homes. The range of products available, and the different ways they can be used, means that housekeeping teams have more choice than ever before. It is therefore essential to work with a supplier who can identify priorities, optimise processes, and choose the right combination of products.
With any infection prevention regime, it is useful to identify the critical pathogens of concern. Studies conducted before the Covid-19 pandemic suggested influenza, norovirus, salmonella, and streptococcus pyogenes accounted for over half of infections (Ref1) in care homes. Similar studies conducted today would probably add SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, to this list.
Common viruses and bacteria like these often spread by direct contact, touching contaminated surfaces, and through breathing in airborne droplets produced when infected people cough, sneeze, or breathe. Any effective infection prevention regime must therefore incorporate good personal hygiene and surface disinfection as well as activities such as distancing and mask wearing not directly related to cleaning and hygiene.
Meeting the standards expected by the CQC is important and this increasingly means recording metrics to audit cleaning and hygiene performance. ATP testing can be useful when assessing general levels of cleanliness: before-and-after results of swabs from frequent-touch and high-risk surfaces can show performance improvement.
ATP testing can be augmented with cleaning verification systems. These use portable devices or smartphones and web-enabled applications to systematically record in real time a much wider range of metrics. This can include when critical tasks – such as disinfecting frequent touch-points - were completed and by whom. Supervisors always have an up-to-date overview of infection prevention processes which can be used for CQC compliance reporting. They can also identify trends that help them take evidence-based decisions to eliminate non-compliance or systematic inconsistencies and improve outcomes.
Whatever disinfectant is chosen it must be effective. Suppliers should have evidence their products meet relevant EN-numbered disinfection standards. Products meeting EN14476, for example, will be effective against viruses such as the one that causes Covid-19. Wightman & Parrish would recommend an item such as the Oxivir Excel Cleaner Disinfectant. Other important EN tests cover bacteria, yeasts, and fungi, and some products will meet multiple standards.
Many sites continue to use conventional chlorine-based products, following decades of perceived wisdom and established practice. Such products have been widely used during the pandemic when many homes adopted a cautious approach. This is not to say these products are not effective, because they are, but their widespread use is based on Government recommendations for acute care which are not always appropriate in care homes.
Care homes considering a change of surface disinfectants will need support and reassurance. Alternative formulations with innovative active ingredients can offer advantages in terms of sustainability, speed, simplicity, safety, and surface compatibility with similar or better efficacy against pathogens of concern. Products containing actives such as AHP (accelerated hydrogen peroxide) offer broad-spectrum efficacy against a wide range of pathogens but with fewer potential drawbacks than conventional chlorine formulations. The Oxivir Plus Disinfectant is a great option as it is based on innovative Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide technology that effectively destroys pathogens such as MRSA, Hepatitis
C and Norovirus.
Using chlorine typically involves a two-step process where the surface must be cleaned before disinfectant is applied. Alternative products classified as cleaner disinfectants complete both tasks in a one-step process and can have shorter contact or dwell times. That can reduce cleaning times which in itself can justify the change.
Further savings are available when products are supplied as concentrates with controlled dosing platforms rather than as ready-to-use or bulk formulations. Solutions are prepared in reusable spray bottles, buckets, and cleaning machines by adding water at the point of use. This promotes consistent preparation of solutions with predictable costs and almost no wastage. Wightman & Parrish offer a wide range of Diversey's SmartDose products, available here.
Moving to concentrated products can also enhance sustainability. Adding water at the point of use rather than the point of manufacture generally means less product is required for any given application. This reduces packaging, sourcing, transport and handling, storage, and waste disposal costs. For example, depending on product, one container of concentrate can replace 70 or more ready-to-use spray bottles. Packs that are made wholly or partially from recycled materials and which themselves are recyclable offer additional benefits. Wightman & Parrish can demonstrate these using sustainability calculators.
Conventional disinfection processes rely on removing pathogens from a surface that could be contaminated again right away. A new type of product offers ongoing protection and is especially useful for door handles, light switches, and similar frequent touch surfaces. These products initially disinfect like a conventional formulation but dry to form an almost invisible polymer layer. This retains the disinfectant which can then can then destroy pathogens that are deposited, offering ongoing protection of up to 24 hours. Some sites have reduced cleaning frequency from two-hourly to twice-daily as a result. Feedback from care homes suggests these products could be particularly useful during night-time when there are fewer members of staff present to carry out cleaning tasks. Efficacy is demonstrated by the BSI PAS 2424 Residual Antimicrobial Efficacy or the even more stringent EPA RSS tests.
Hand hygiene is the other critical aspect of infection prevention. It is common in care homes to find pump-top bottles at key locations so that residents and staff can disinfect their hands whenever they want. This is convenient and practical but switching some or all to wall or post-mounted professional dispensers can offer benefits. These can include reduced risk of the dispenser going missing or running out of product, which helps maximise availability and hand hygiene compliance. Professional dispensers can also help reduce wastage and costs by ensuring the right amount of product is always dispensed. Systems with high capacity and interchangeable products can simplify processes and reduce supervisory and supply chain burdens, time, and costs. For example, the Soft Care Dispenser can be used with any of the Soft Care Cartridges, such as the Soft Care Liquid Hand Sanitiser.
As with surface disinfectants, many care homes are hesitant to change their hand hygiene products. One of the main reasons is that residents and staff are familiar with existing products and trust them. On rare occasions, some users can suffer reactions to new formulations. Many of these concerns can be addressed through short-term on-site trials with feedback to finalise decisions. Most suppliers offer a choice of formulations which comply with required EN-numbered infection prevention standards.
Infection prevention is a critical part of care home life. Changing products and processes can be a difficult decision especially when existing protocols are established and trusted. But change can deliver improvement to outcomes and sustainability while saving time and money that can be used instead to enhance care.
Topics: care home, infection control, healthcare, Hygiene, COVID
A NEW ERA IN FLOOR CLEANING IS HERE.
TRUE CLEANING POWER INTO THE HANDS OF EVERYONE WITH THE NEW TASKI swingo 250µicro.
In a world demanding even higher standards of hygiene you have to work harder to impress your customers, guests and patients whilst safeguarding your brand.
However wet floors are a serious risk. Slips and falls as the result of wet or dirty floors and the risk of contamination spread from unclean mops and buckets are a serious threat. Unless mops are thoroughly laundered at high temperature or disposed of, microorganisms can quickly multiply. This is often a hidden problem. TASKI has collaborated with a major partner to bring to market a mechanised cleaning solution for facilities that want to tackle the hygiene and safety concerns of unclean floors.
The swingo 250µicro is a lightweight, mobile, micro scrubber that delivers exceptional cleaning performance. Simple and easy to use like a mop but that’s where the similarity ends.
How the swingo 250µicro can help your business.
1) Improves your customer experience
2) Protects your brand
3) Protects people and ensures safety
How?
The swingo 250µicro delivers better cleaning three ways:
More cleaning pressure lifts even ground in soilage. More soilage removed means less microorganisms to pose a hygiene risk. More water removed thanks to the digital vacuum motor leaves floors perfectly dry. Clean, dry floors are simply safer and more hygienic.
We recently carried out a free demonstration of the Swingo 250 with one of our Customers. Nothing they had tried could get their antislip flooring clean, as they have such high footfall in their washrooms. Our customer was blown away by the results! Check out the results in our video below:
Welcome to the world of the TASKI swingo 250µicro, now every business can achieve professional floor cleaning results.
Now that’s good business.
Topics: infection control, Hygiene, Washroom
There are no shortcuts to workplace hygiene - Talk with our experts today to create your workplace hygiene improvement plan.
Now more than ever, businesses are prioritising workplace hygiene – leading to switches in products and practices. Clean hands and surfaces are critical to maintaining more hygienic workplaces, which is why Wightman & Parrish have teamed up with Kimberly-Clark Professional - the world's leader in washroom and wiping solutions to help our customers review their current cleaning practices.
From surface cleaning solutions to hand washing, drying and sanitising to tissue systems, our experts are here to guide you every step of the way in developing your strategy to improve hygiene within your facility.
Two key areas many facilities can improve on are highlighted below so please click through and find out how Wightman & Parrish and Kimberly-Clark can help your facility achieve its hygiene goals.Topics: infection control, Hand Hygiene, coronavirus
All staff in a care home have an important role in prevention and control of infection which is an integral quality issue in the care of residents and the health and safety of staff. All staff need to maintain a high standard of infection control as a matter of good practice.
Topics: care home, infection control, healthcare
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