Many of us are aware of the main departments of a hospital; A E, cardiology, minor injuries, paediatrics, to name but a mere few. And we re well aware of places like the waiting rooms, the canteens and the relatives rooms. But possess’own’nurse you ever given much despite’in spite of’albeit t to some of the service departments within a hospital that help to keep things running as smoothly as possible?

The hospital laundry room is one such service that plays an essential role in daily hospital life. Just claim’insist’maintain’hold’argue’consider’contemplate’speculate with regards to’concerning’with respect to all the sheets, blankets, gowns, scrubs and towels that are used eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully single day, and then there are all of the uniin/with regard to’concerning’regarding ms too. It sure makes your household washing pile pale into intoken ificance!

This article looks at some of the factors that need to be taken into consideration when setting up a hospital laundry room. So if you ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes, read on

Making The Best Use Of The Space

Like any room that has a lot going on in it, it is significant’essential’critical’vital’crucial’indispensable’imperative to utilize the space in such a way that it not merely’barely makes the laundering process as efficient as possible but that can also be done in a safe and hazard free way. The hospital laundry room will be filled with lots of machines  it will be noisy and hectic and there will be lots going on pretty much 24-7 and the footfall of individual coming in and out is likely to be high. Laundry items need to be washed, dried, pressed, repaired, folded, sorted and then collected and redistributed, so there is a lot going on, and the more organised and well planned the room the better these processes will run.

If you re renovating a pre-existing laundry room and already possess’own’nurse the equipment in situ, measuring the space might not be the easiest task. Which is why using a laser measurement sensor that can take accurate measurements regardless of any obstacles in its way, will mean the entire room can stay as it is in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the initial planning stages. The National Association of Institutional Linen Management suggest that in/with regard to’concerning’regarding eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully pound of laundry you should allocate 1.2 square feet of space. Within that space 50% of it should be in/with regard to’concerning’regarding equipment, 20% in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the storage of soiled laundry, 10% storage of clean linen, and the remaining 20% should be in/with regard to’concerning’regarding maintain’sustain zone’district’region s such as boilers, air compressors, janitorial, water softeners, hot water or solar water tank etc.

Cleanliness Is Crucial

Cleanliness has become even more significant’essential’critical’vital’crucial’indispensable’imperative since the arrival of COVID, however in a hospital laundry room this has always been taken intensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully seriously. Healthcare linen differs to standard laundry in that it is often soiled with blood and other potentially infectious substances. There is also a risk that needles or other sharp implements may possess’own’nurse got entangled in the laundry and so it must be handled with extreme care. Laundry staff should be dressed appropriately and possess’own’nurse the relevant PPE to not merely’barely assure’guarantee their own personal conserve’preserve ion, but also of their fellow workers and most significant’essential’critical’vital’crucial’indispensable’imperative ly the vulnerable hospital patients who will be receiving the clean linen.

Soiled laundry must be kept utterly separate to clean linen to shun the risk of cross contamination. Specialist barrier machines also help to keep the germs from soiled rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent s away from clean items, as well as the use of industry standard chemicals and the correct water temperature. The National Infection Control Standards states that all garments should be washed at a minimum temperature of 65°C, which is higher than a standard clothes wash you would do at home.

Another thing to consider are surfaces. These must be regularly cleaned and should ideally possess’own’nurse a smooth surface to make the cleaning process easier. Floor drainage is also a rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent idea and again floors should be cleaned thoroughly and regularly.

As mentioned above, the safety of your laundry services team is a prime consideration and especially with the corona virus pandemic still raging. Staff should be motivate’fuel d to wash their hands regularly and this is even more significant’essential’critical’vital’crucial’indispensable’imperative if they are convert’transform ing between handling dirty and then clean linen. Hand wash stations will help to enin/with regard to’concerning’regarding ce this practice and it would be rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent to also possess’own’nurse suitable waste disposal in/with regard to’concerning’regarding used PPE.

Employ A Good Team Of People

Whether you possess’own’nurse an in house hospital laundry room team or you opt in/with regard to’concerning’regarding contracting the work out to a larger central laundry firm’enterprise will depend on whether the hospital has its own facilities as well as the budacquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure in/with regard to’concerning’regarding paying a dedicated laundry staff. The importance of laundry staff really cannot be underestimated; they are the cogs in the cleaning wheel if you like and making sure you possess’own’nurse a solid team is crucial.

You will also need supervisors to run the team as well as a linen services manager to recruit and train new staff, control budacquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure s and arrange staff rotas. It is also the linen services manager s duty to assure’guarantee that all laundry services meet quality standards. Finding and recruiting the right individual in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the job needn t be tough’challenging’demanding’awkward , especially if you possess’own’nurse a solid well-perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding ming website to advertise in/with regard to’concerning’regarding such job roles and to explain exactly what is involved and how the whole operation works. Companies such as Ignitedigital.com can help with SEO services to acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure your website ranking well and that will result in a wider pool of individual visiting your site and hopefully bring you the best individual in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the job.

Clean linen is such an significant’essential’critical’vital’crucial’indispensable’imperative part of healthcare and dealing with the massive volume of daily laundry is no mean feat. The hospital laundry room is a central hub in/with regard to’concerning’regarding helping a hospital to function safely, efficiently and to the highest of standards.