How Healthcare Cleaning Services Can Improve Infection Control Measures

When offering healthcare cleaning services, it is important to be extra careful. That’s because your cleaning services would determine the safe and hygienic environment you create for patients, staff, and visitors. For the same reason, healthcare cleaning services in Brisbane and Gold Coast should be familiar with how to implement strict infection control measures. This article serves as a guide on how you can do it. 

Implement strict sanitation protocols. 

Sanitation protocols would serve as the foundation of effective infection control. This is applicable to any healthcare facility. You need to have strong sanitation guidelines, that the cleaners can follow. Then they will be able to ensure cross-contamination prevention. Along with that, they can also minimise the spread of infectious diseases. 

For example, you should be using appropriate cleaning agents and disinfectants for cleaning. On top of that, you need to have appropriate equipment to clean and sanitise the surfaces. For cleaning high-touch areas, you may have to invest in specialised cleaning equipment. Make sure that all cleaners are adhering to these strict sanitation protocols you implement. Then you can ensure that it doesn’t result in any cross-contamination within the healthcare facility.

Have effective disinfection practices.

The disinfection practices followed by your healthcare cleaners should be effective. In other words, the disinfection methods you follow should eliminate harmful microorganisms and prevent their growth on surfaces. 

To achieve this, you can think about using hospital-grade disinfectants. Such disinfectants are effective against numerous pathogens you can find in a healthcare setting. They include viruses, bacteria, and even fungi. You should also allow sufficient contact time for the disinfectants to work effectively. Along with that, thoroughly wipe down all surfaces as well.

Infection prevention through proper healthcare hygiene 

Your healthcare cleaning staff should follow proper hygiene practices at all times as well. For example, they need to wash their hands regularly with water or an alcohol-based sanitiser regularly. On top of that, you need to provide PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to all your cleaning staff members who work in healthcare settings. 

Cleaning staff should be well aware of respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette as well. For example, they need to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing or coughing. They should also take appropriate measures to dispose of used tissues effectively. It will be a good thing if your cleaning staff wears face masks when offering their cleaning services.

Adhere to strict cleaning standards. 

One of the most effective strategies for infection control and prevention in healthcare settings is to adhere to strict cleaning standards. These standards are outlined in the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare. You need to go through them and be familiar with the standards. Then you can ensure that your cleaning services meet the highest levels of quality and safety. 

Cleaning standards usually cover many different aspects of healthcare cleaning. They include the frequency of cleaning and the cleaning agents that you need to use. They will also cover proper handling and disposal of infectious waste. 

Follow specialised treatments for microbial reduction. 

To ensure patient safety, it is vital to follow specialised treatment methods for microbial reduction. This is where you can think about using antimicrobial treatments and germicidal solutions. By following these strict cleanliness standards, you will not just overcome the presence of harmful microorganisms on surfaces. You will also be able to prevent their growth. 

Follow appropriate sterilisation processes when cleaning high-risk areas.

You should be extra mindful about the cleanliness of high-risk areas of the healthcare facility. Perfect examples of such high-risk areas include intensive care units and operating rooms. By adhering to strict sterilisation procedures, you need to ensure that all equipment, instruments, and surfaces are free from harmful microorganisms. This is where you can use temperature steam, chemical sterilisation, and other effective sterilisation methods. 

Contamination control through environmental cleaning 

Healthcare facility environment cleaning involves cleaning all surfaces and rooms. They include high-touch surfaces, patient and surgical rooms, and even ventilation systems. It plays a major role in the ability to ensure proper hygienic maintenance of your healthcare facility. This is where you need to come up with comprehensive environmental cleaning procedures. This includes regular cleaning and disinfection of all surfaces, including walls, floors, ceilings, and furniture. With regular hygienic maintenance practices, you can ensure that there is no possibility for contaminants to spread.

Continuous training and education 

In order to ensure the effectiveness of your infection control measures, you need to provide training and education to the staff members. For example, your staff members must be aware of the proper cleaning and disinfection techniques for pathogen elimination. They should also be familiar with different germicidal solutions. Then you can expect them to use the most appropriate solution based on the situation. 

Your staff members must know how to use personal protective equipment and the important role played by them. Regular training and education will ensure that your staff continues to follow the right techniques and best practices. This will eventually help you maintain a safe and hygienic environment within your healthcare facility.

Collaborate with healthcare professionals.

When offering healthcare cleaning services, you should closely collaborate with healthcare professionals as well. This is where you should encourage your cleaning staff to coordinate with nurses, doctors, and other healthcare providers. This coordination will help you with identifying the high-risk areas. Then you can implement appropriate cleaning and disinfection measures for such areas. This is a proven method for proper waste disposal and outbreak prevention. 

Make sure that your staff doesn’t ignore the importance of regular communication and coordination with healthcare professionals. Then you can ensure the highest standards of infection control at any given time.

Final words 

Dealing with healthcare cleaning can be challenging. But by following these tips, any healthcare cleaning service can adhere to strict infection control measures. If you are managing a healthcare service, you need to check if you are getting an appropriate service by focusing on these factors before outsourcing. 

If you are looking for healthcare cleaning services that adhere to proper infection control procedures, you may contact us at Holy Cross Cleaning. As a reputed healthcare facility cleaning service in Brisbane and Gold Coast, we can help any facility to ensure 100% cleanliness.