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How to improve hygiene in aged care facilities

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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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