UK
One in four care homes in the UK is unaware of the CFPP 01-04 guidelines on decontamination of linen for social care, according to a recent report on the sector from Berendsen UK.
The survey, which was conducted among senior members of staff at care homes, also found homes that were not implementing best practice, as advised by the Department of Health.
Of those homes interviewed in the survey, one-third revealed that their laundries do not have separate entrances and exits, while over half did not have a barrier between the washers and dryers.
Both of these are requirements for achieving best practice.
The guidelines set out Essential Quality Requirements that every care home is obliged to meet along with recommendations for best practice.
Jerry Richardson, Berendsen’s business development director for UK care homes said that homes needed to demonstrate that they had a proactive plan for meeting best practice.
"Providing residents with clean linen and minimising the risk of infection posed by soiled linen is a fundamental requirement for care homes," he explained. "Failure to do so can directly impact on residents’ health. Our research suggests that many care homes are simply unaware that guidelines exist and that others are not implementing some of the recommendations."
Image supplied by Berendsen UK
