The 65th annual specialist training forum and exhibition provided, as always, a valuable opportunity for the UK’s healthcare linen services professionals to take on new ideas, debate issues and just as importantly, network. Above all, the event offered participants the opportunity to find efficiencies and improve the quality of service and through sharing best practice.
President John Gallagher welcomed delegates, saying the Society had come a long way since its inception in 1951. "Sixty five years later the Society is a thriving, professional association, which has gained the respect of all those associated with the laundry, linen services and textile industry that is frequently invited to comment on legislation through the Department of Health."
Over the two days, delegates heard how linen services could meet the fundamental standards of quality and safety required by the CQC and provide assurance through the Premises Assurance Model. They also heard how
Trusts managing contracts and laundry managers can get value from NHS laundry contracts, through specifications and tenders and the importance of safeguarding the patient environment and reducing the risk to patients associated with the recontamination of clean linen by contributing to the raising of best practice standards for clean linen distribution – and curtain management.
They also heard of preliminary findings that hospital acquired infections may well be spread via staff clothing.
At the same time, the exhibition of new products and supplier developments was available for delegates to investigate during seminar breaks.

Mike Langthorne (TSA) Synergy Health – Are NHS laundry contracts too prescriptive?
The TSA asked Langthorne to explore the possibility of partnership working with a view to producing cost benefits for both partners by making changes to contract criteria and specifications; or would this type of change lead to a reduction in control and loss of quality?
Langthorne led by saying: "Linen management services to English NHS Acute Trusts are substantially delivered in partnership with organisations outside the NHS (approximately 80%. Berensden and Synergy Health supply services, either direct or via FM companies, to over 85% of Trusts partnering with the private sector. Other independent providers are important, local service partners to the NHS.
"The NHS in England self provides or supports sister NHS Trusts for about 20% of acute hospital requirements with acute Trusts demanding the ‘lion’s share’ of linen management services. Mental health, ambulance and community based Trusts represent a little over 10% of total service requirements."
He said: "NHS Laundries have tended to suffer from lack of investment and diseconomies of scale – but significantly and importantly some have ‘bucked’ this long term trend.
"Over the past seven years, prices for services have declined – in real terms – by over 10% while labour and energy costs have risen faster than general inflation. At the same time standards have strengthened, for example via the introduction of CFPP0104," he said.
His conclusion was there have been limited changes to service specification in recent years with the biggest the requirement to adhere to CFP0104. He said it is now rare for large volumes to be RTS with linen hire the preferred model. Whether there is a possibility of integration of the on-campus team, he reported mixed views around the NHS
"The NHS calls for innovation – but has shown a limited and ‘patchy’ appetite for change and also on whether FM companies added value or not."

Reg Ramsden, North Tees And Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust – Premises assurance management
Ramsden kicked of his session by defining Premises Assurance as "a management tool that provides NHS organisations with a way of assessing how safely and efficiently they run their estate and facilities services".
When applied to laundry services they must be safe and compliant with well managed systems including the requirement that assets, equipment and plant are adequately maintained with all relevant records maintenance manuals, procedures, test certificates, available, up to date and kept in an appropriate manner including an up to date asset register.
He pondered: "Will PAM become mandatory? Probably. Will it change? Yes, as it is further developed. Will it be linked to other models? Yes, as there are already similarities with other models such as ERIC, PLACE and Carter."

Lisa Grendall, Patient Environment Manager, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust – Quality, safety and the Quality Care Commission
Patient centred care is everybody’s business, said Grendall. "The CQC fundamental standards govern the care that everyone has the right to expect. The 6C’s – care, communication, compassion, courage, competence and commitment – are the values which underpin compassion in practice."
She stressed how all health care workers, services and suppliers are fundamental to safe provision of care for the patients using the Trust’s services for treatment and how important the linen manager’s role is in this dynamic.
Kevin Newton, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust – Salisbury Linen Services
SLS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust since 2013 providing laundry and linen Services to NHS Acute & Community Hospitals along with some local nursing homes, employing 60 staff.
Newton explained that the SLS objective is: "To consistently provide a linen and laundry service to NHS customers in compliance with CFPP01-04 and EN14065 to a quality that results in customers having a reject rate of less than 1%."
However getting there has been a journey he says that started off with a baptism of fire, followed by another trauma. " SLS came off its life support system in 2014, suffered a relapse in 2015 and following a restructure is now healthy.
"The goal now is to strive to provide a value for money service and grow the SLS business. He has an eye on how to achieve this by finding synergies with other like-minded healthcare laundries. "If two work together both are stronger," he said.

Dr Katie Laird, Simon de Montfort University – Laundering of nurses’ uniforms
Dr Laird explored the contentious issue of home laundering of nurses uniforms and reported on a survey undertaken by her team across four different hospitals in three different counties
The investigation raised some worries about how different Trusts interpret government uniform washing guidelines for nurses working in high risk areas where pernicious bacteria such as MRSA proliferates. As well as high risk wards, accident and emergency areas were classed as high risk in this exercise.
Laird concluded guidelines should be standardised across Trusts and laundering should be monitored or regulated more closely. She also said more education is required.
Her investigations continue.