What Are the Regulations Surrounding Hospital Laundries?
It’s paramount that hospitals maintain the highest possible levels of hygiene in order to prevent the spread of bacteria and infections – and with so many unwell people in one shared space, this can easily happen. This, of course, is something that extends to laundry services, as infection can potentially be easily passed on when clothes are worn by several patients.
So what measures should hospital staff be taking to ensure that hospital laundry services are meeting regulations? A document by the Department of Health and Social Care details the standard that they encourage those operating laundry systems in hospital settings to maintain.
The European Standard BS EN 14065
BS EN 14065 is a quality management system with the aim of ensuring contamination control of processed linen, in environments where microbiological contamination is a risk. This involves a Risk Analysis and Biocontamination Control system.
Risk Analysis and Biocontamination Control
An RABC system serves to continuously monitor the microbiological quality of processed linen. It involves identifying microbiological hazards associated with each step of the washing process and determining corresponding control measures, assessing environmental conditions that can be controlled to eliminate or reduce risks. Control points should regularly be observed for monitoring purposes, and corrected when it becomes apparent that a particular point/environmental condition is not under control. System checking procedures must be in place to ensure that it is working effectively, supported by the appropriate documentation.
Although this standard provides users with an effective approach to ensure consistent, effective contamination control, it is not legally-binding and cannot provide for all laundry services – specific processes and product regulations are left to local jurisdictions/industries.
Independent Accreditation
Linen processors aren’t required to have independent certification, but it contributes to Best Practice as an official mark of quality, providing service users with peace of mind that they are in good hands.
Maintaining consistency
It’s imperative that hospital laundry regulations are met – and consistently reviewed – to ensure that patients are kept safe. A recently-published academic study details the case of a washing machine in a German hospital which was found to be harbouring drug-resistant bacteria, consequently spreading this to newborns in a neonatal unit via freshly
laundered clothes. Though no infection occurred and the culpable washing machine was removed immediately, this story understandably sparked concern regarding the hygiene of hospital washing machines.
It was found that the washing machine in question was meant to be for domestic use only, so was not at all suitable for washing patients’ clothes. This just highlights the importance of industrial washing machines in a hospital environment, in order to withstand the demands of continuous washing and ensure maximum hygiene.
If you think your washing machines may not be standing up to the test, it may be time to consider investing in new industrial washing machines to make sure that you are getting the job done correctly.
Laundry Services And Supplies provide trustworthy industrial and commercial washing machines at an affordable price, as well as offering repairs and maintenance services carried out by our fully-trained engineers. To find out more, contact our expert team on 0800 069 8082.
