With winter on its way, it’s vital your sluice room is equipped properly and that the processes in place are reviewed.
A sluice room is where all soiled items are taken and therefore has a huge number of contaminated items passing through it every day.
They can be hot spots for HAIs, but if designed properly, they can also play an essential role in reducing the spread of infection in health care settings.
The main aim of any sluice room is to make sure human waste is disposed of quickly with minimal human contact. This means it needs to be designed and fitted to reduce any potential cross-contamination.
How do people move around your sluice room?
Staff will enter with soiled items, and they should be leaving with clean ones while being clean and safe themselves.
All dirty substances should be eliminated first. Make sure your bedpan washers and washer disinfectors are the first port of call in your sluice room. This ensures all human waste is disposed of quickly, making it less likely for infection to spread.
The next area should have a cleaning station. A sink dedicated to washing dirty items is needed. Remember, not all equipment needs to go in a washer disinfector.
A handwashing station should come next. This is where staff can practise good hand hygiene and ensure they can move into the clean area.
No dirty items should enter the clean area. This is where all reusable equipment is stored safely away from dangerous microorganisms.
There are items and equipment every sluice room should have.
- Stainless steel hand basin with sensor taps
- Liquid soap dispensor
- Paper towel dispenser
- Wall-mounted racks for storing clean items
- Waste bin
- Washer disinfector
When was the last time you tested your washer disinfector?
Having a washer disinfector is an essential part of any working sluice room. If it breaks down or stops working properly, you will find yourself with a serious problem.
We recommend that you carry out weekly checks of your machines to ensure that everything is working as it should be.
When you buy your washer disinfector from Dekomed, we provide a maintenance and service package so our trained engineers can regularly check your machines. With these checks, you won’t find yourself unexpectedly with a broken appliance.
Do you have a spillage clean up procedure in place?
Even if your sluice room is designed correctly with all the right equipment, accidents still happen. If there is a spillage, do your staff know how to deal with it safely?
Appropriate PPE should be worn, and the spillage should be absorbed using disposable cloths. Then the whole area should be cleaned with disinfectant and waster and dried properly.
A quick response to a spillage means germs are contained, and you reduce the risk of an infection outbreak.
A well-planned sluice room with easy to follow procedures and good quality equipment will mean you can have a safer healthcare environment.
A well-planned sluice room with easy to follow procedures and good quality equipment will mean you can have a safer healthcare environment.Now is the time to make sure everything is in fully working order and your staff are fully trained.
Ask yourself if you can do anything else to prevent infections from leaving the sluice room?
Maybe it’s time to upgrade or invest in a washer disinfector? If that’s the case, give us a call, and we’ll be able to get the process started.
Tel: +44 (0)161 483 7333