What not to keep in a sluice room
There is obviously a near infinite list of things that should not be kept in a sluice room, but this short guide will look at some of the likeliest culprits in a care home or hospital environment.
First and foremost the most important “thing” that should have no place in a sluice room is mess. It is vital that staff can move around a sluice room without unnecessary obstruction and without the need to move waste or other obtrusive objects out of the way, thus creating more touch-points that can help spread infection, not to mention the other health and safety problems that mess can create.
Keep those bins emptied
There could hardly be anything worse for a sluice room than bins that are bursting at the seams. Firstly, waste bags that are over-filled can be liable to burst, which would create a great hazard and require thorough clean-up. Secondly, mess breeds contempt which breeds mess. If staff see a sluice room that is not properly cared for, they in turn will see no good reason to take care, leading to a vicious cycle of mess and increased risk of the spread of infection. Waste bags should never be more than ¾ filled or over 4kg in weight before they are removed from the sluice room. This is in the NHS Standard Infection Control Precautions.
Dirty linen and waste should never be put anywhere other than on the two bag trolley (a staple of all sluice rooms). Soiled items should never go near the clean area of the sluice room and laundry should only be sorted in the laundry room.
No personal possessions should ever be kept in the sluice room – mobile telephones should never be taken out in the sluice room as they can be the perfect breeding ground for germs coming in or going out.
First and foremost the most important “thing” that should have no place in a sluice room is mess. It is vital that staff can move around a sluice room without unnecessary obstruction and without the need to move waste or other obtrusive objects out of the way, thus creating more touch-points that can help spread infection, not to mention the other health and safety problems that mess can create.
Keep those bins emptied
There could hardly be anything worse for a sluice room than bins that are bursting at the seams. Firstly, waste bags that are over-filled can be liable to burst, which would create a great hazard and require thorough clean-up. Secondly, mess breeds contempt which breeds mess. If staff see a sluice room that is not properly cared for, they in turn will see no good reason to take care, leading to a vicious cycle of mess and increased risk of the spread of infection. Waste bags should never be more than ¾ filled or over 4kg in weight before they are removed from the sluice room. This is in the NHS Standard Infection Control Precautions.
Dirty linen and waste should never be put anywhere other than on the two bag trolley (a staple of all sluice rooms). Soiled items should never go near the clean area of the sluice room and laundry should only be sorted in the laundry room.
No personal possessions should ever be kept in the sluice room – mobile telephones should never be taken out in the sluice room as they can be the perfect breeding ground for germs coming in or going out.