The Importance of Hygiene in Care Homes
At Westgate Healthcare, we are immensely proud of our standards of care and hygiene, continuously striving to perfect these in all of our care homes across the country. In this blog, we want to look deeper into the factors affecting hygiene in care homes and considerations to improve them for all homes.
Why is Good Hygiene Important?
Maintaining a high standard of hygiene in care, nursing and residential homes is extremely important. People living in care are likely to be elderly or have more vulnerable immune systems, which can make them more susceptible to commonly transmitted infections. Residents, visitors and staff should feel safe in the knowledge that appropriate measures are taken to ensure a safe, clean and comfortable living and working environment.
Within the UK, it is the governmental body the Care Quality Commission who regulate health and social care services, assessing the quality of all care homes. They take into consideration these 5 factors when looking at the quality of care homes in general:
- Safety – Residents are safe in their surroundings. Safety is of paramount importance to us at Westgate, so this always comes first in our minds.
- Effectiveness – Our care, treatment and support of residents effectively and positively impacts the quality of life.
- Caring – All staff treat our residents with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect at all times.
- Responsiveness – Our services are arranged and organised so that all residents have their needs met in an appropriate and timely manner.
- Well-led – The quality of care in each home is established from the top down, with the management, leadership and governance of the care home completely focused on delivering first-class care.
Looking at these measures, it’s clear to understand how hygiene and cleanliness are intrinsic to the quality of a care home. All 5 factors are improved from having clean and hygienic environment, therefore this is something we give priority to in all of our care homes.
With this in mind, here are some individual factors that can be considered for improving overall cleanliness within homes.
Equipment and Bedding
Our care and nursing homes have a lot of specialist equipment to help provide the best possible care service for residents. Equipment is used regularly to improve the all-round experience for residents and staff, so we ensure these are cleaned frequently and after every single use. Bedding, like clothing, is also cleaned regularly to ensure that maximum comfort and hygiene is maintained at all times. Using a specialist, easily cleaned bedding, supplied by Gailarde Ltd, can help make the washing process easier and gives better results.
The catering teams at Westgate Healthcare are always trained with hygiene and food safety in mind, while the housekeeping team are diligent in creating clean and welcoming environments for all of our residents, whether this be common rooms, bathrooms, dining halls or anywhere else.
Staff & Resident Hygiene
All of our care home teams maintain a very high level of personal hygiene because of the often hands-on care required by residents. Arriving at work both clean and presentable, our staff are meticulous in washing their hands throughout the day, preventing any germs from spreading and adhering to infection control guidance. No matter how large the staff teams are, training staff regularly on the importance of hygiene in care homes and best practice keeps this at the forefront of their minds.
Conclusion
Maintaining a consistently high level of hygiene in care homes helps to create a healthier, safer and more enjoyable environment for everyone. This is something we uphold and greatly emphasise at all of our care and nursing homes at Westgate. You can learn more about the different types of care we offer by getting in touch and speaking to one of our friendly and helpful team.
