In healthcare settings the safety of patients, visitors and staff is of paramount importance and a huge responsibility.
Proper cleaning and hygiene requires the disciplined use of effective products in order to reduce or eliminate the potential for people to come into contact with harmful microorganisms that lead to illness and potentially fatal infection agents. Our sector offers a wide variety of cleaning products and systems for hygiene and disinfection in healthcare settings including hospitals, medical centres, care homes, nursing and rehabilitation facilities, operating theatres, solariums, and cosmetic studios. This also includes cleaning products used for the disinfection of surfaces, surgical instruments, equipment, hands and skin, as well as for linen and kitchens.
Securing patient safety
Disinfectants play a crucial role in securing the safety of hospital patients, from the cleaning of their room to the disinfection of the medical devices and laundering of operating theatre gowns and hospital linens. Keeping patients and medical personnel safe is a highly complex task.
In industrial laundering, work clothes, bed linen, mops, etc. are washed in large batches to optimise the washing processes and tailor the detergent chemistry to the specific requirements.
Cleaning medical devices
Medical devices e.g. endoscopes cannot be cleaned in normal sterilisation machines. Professional detergents use enzymes which function in low concentration with low temperature and mild pH to ensure devices are safe to use for each patient.
Products that are used for the cleaning and disinfection of medical devices now fall under the scope of the EU’s Medical Devices Regulation. IHO and A.I.S.E. have published Guidance for the industry to support companies correctly implement the legislation.
