Heartbeat: Segregate for safety – laundry service need your help

November 16, 2022

The Trust’s dedicated in-house laundry team are requesting colleague support to segregate linen properly to safeguard against cross infection risks and to limit the amount of linen being mislaid and mishandled.

Aner Marcelo, Head of Support Services, told Heartbeat: “In-house, we launder pyjamas, curtains, nightwear, scrubs, oven gloves, mops, tea cloths and lab coats, amongst other things.

“The operation requires a very particular set of skills which are easy to overlook. However, there is lot more to laundering than meets the eye.

“My day-to-day job involves handling chemicals, operating machines, good coordination, and impeccable timing to ensure that linens leave the laundry room clean, crisp, and on time.

“If not segregated properly there is a high possibility of cross infection. Furthermore, we get charged by an external contractor if the above items get mixed with theirs and as a result, the items end up in waste bins.”

Aner added: “It’s important for colleagues to be mindful on how to prevent cross contamination and reduce cost pressures.

“Linen can be made safe by washing it to remove any contaminating body fluids, but it is often not practical to wash domestic linen at high temperatures because of the heat lability of fabrics.

“And so, we encourage all colleagues, clinician and non-clinical alike to follow proper linen segregation.”

All PJs, curtains, nightwear, scrubs, oven gloves, mops, tea cloths, and lab coats need to be segregated and sent to internal laundry. PJs need to be put in the green bags, whilst scrubs are to be put in the blue bins. All other items are to be sent to external providers.