Addition Of Care Homes To NHS Comparison Site ‘Positive Step For The Sector’
The decision to add care homes to an NHS service comparison website has been welcomed by a leading supplier of commercial laundry equipment to the care sector.
Following the move to make care homes available to view on My NHS, part of the NHS Choice site, users will now be able to review and compare various aspects of different facilities, including Care Quality Commission inspection ratings and food hygiene scores. Amanda Dufrane, Care Segment Manager at Electrolux Professional, has praised this step toward added transparency within the industry and hopes it will lead to further hygiene standards being introduced further down the line.
Amanda commented: “Including care homes on the My NHS tool is great news for potential care home residents and their families, as it will help them to make an informed decision on their future homes. Of course, there is more to consider than merely the criteria listed, but having this basic information now readily available is a positive step for the sector and will hopefully drive up care home standards even further.”
The news comes shortly after the publication of Infection Prevention, a white paper published by Electrolux Professional on the role of care home laundry functions in the overall maintenance of hygiene, and Amanda is keen to stress the importance of facilities implementing stringent laundry procedures to fight against infection and ensure the safety of residents.
Amanda added: “Our research found that over a quarter of care home staff in the UK do not feel their laundry is managed in a way which completely avoids contamination, with 5% of respondents even able to recall an instance where an infection outbreak could be traceable to laundry procedures. Linen is the main vehicle for transmission of all sorts of Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAIs), so giving adequate attention to laundry and taking a complete view of the entire process will help to minimise the risk of infection in all facility. Through various sector specific training events and our ongoing support for some of the UK’s leading care providers, we have been working hard to help care homes to put these methods in place, and we look forward to continuing this good work in 2016.”
To download a free copy of Electrolux Professional’s industry report entitled Infection Prevention: A report on the important role of laundry cycle management in UK Care homes, visit www.electrolux.co.uk/professional.
