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Air quality management – part of an ‘holistic approach’

Washroom services provider, Simply Washrooms, discusses how factors including insufficient hand hygiene, difficult-to-clean surfaces, and poor air quality, can lead to the proliferation of harmful bacteria in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Samantha Stocks, director at washroom services provider, Simply Washrooms, discusses how factors including insufficient hand hygiene, difficult-to-clean surfaces, and poor air quality, can lead to the proliferation of harmful bacteria, many of them antibiotic-resistant, in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, and the implications this can have for healthcare environments. She also considers some of the latest technologies for combating such pathogens’ growth and spread.

We share the world with millions of species of bacteria. Trillions of them live on us and inside us, outnumbering our owns cells ten to one. Many bacteria are harmless, and some are even beneficial to our health. When they gain access to the wrong parts of our bodies, however, and grow rapidly, they can cause harmful infections. When these infections are contracted by patients in healthcare settings, the results can be devastating. Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are those acquired in a hospital or other healthcare setting – such as a hospice or care home. Patients in a healthcare setting are typically more susceptible to contracting infections due to diminished, disabled, or compromised immune systems. 

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) estimates that around 300,000 patients every year in England acquire a HCAI as a result of care within the NHS. By their very nature, healthcare environments are places with high concentrations of unwell people – and bacteria, viruses, and fungi are constantly being bought into hospitals by patients, visitors, and staff. 

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Upcoming Events

The Fire Safety Event 2024

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham
30th April - 2 May 2024

Wales regional conference, exhibition and awards dinner 2024

International Conference Centre (ICC) Newport
28th - 29th May 2024

NAHFO National Conference 2024

Crowne Plaza Newcastle Upon Tyne
3rd - 5th June 2024

Design in Mental Health 2024

Manchester Central
4th - 5th June 2024

InstallerSHOW 2024

National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham
25th - 27th June

Healthcare Estates 2024

Manchester Central
8th-9th October 2024

Access the latest issue of Health Estate Journal on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Health Estate Journal app from your device's App store

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