Aged Care

How to improve hygiene in aged care facilities

Adhering to hygiene regulations and legislation standards is vital for aged care facilities to ensure outbreaks of Health Care Associated Infections are kept to a minimum, protecting both aged care facilities and its residents.

As outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO), Health Care Associated Infections lead to more complicated illnesses, prolong hospital stays, induce long-term disabilities and incur high costs to patients and their families. Prevention should be of utmost priority and good hand washing practice the best defence.

Hand hygiene

  • Train staff on the importance of good hand hygiene practices and how to wash their hands properly​
  • Identify common areas and points-of-need where hand hygiene must be adhered to
  • Clean taps, soap dispensers, and sanitising stations regularly to help reduce the spread of infections. Consider installing touch-free facilities to minimise contact
  • Ensure the correct facilities are in place to ensure hands can be dried properly after handwashing

Medical equipment

  • Ensure the correct facilities are in place for the disposal of used medical equipment in a safe and hygienic manner 
  • Reinforce the importance of hand hygiene before and after the use of or contact with medical equipment such as gloves, catheters, and respiratory equipment etc. 
  • Ensure all medical equipment is properly sterilised before and after use

Washrooms

  • Clean both patient and staff washroom facilities on a daily basis 
  • Toilet seats should be sanitised regularly to reduce the risk of cross-contamination 
  • Toilet flush handles, taps and door handles should be cleaned several times a day 
  • Provide proper feminine hygiene facilities in all female washrooms 
  • Use mixer/sensor taps to control water temperature 
  • Where possible, utilise a non-touch system for soap dispensers, hand drying units and bins to minimise contact with surfaces 
  • Ensure hand soap and toilet paper are refilled on a regular basis

Resident rooms

  • Install hand sanitising stations outside resident rooms 
  • Clean and regularly disinfect resident rooms to reduce the risk of infection 
  • Ensure medical tools such as respiratory systems are sterisiled before use

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