Release Date: DRAFT
Release Ref: B006
HYGIENE STANDARDS PUTTING CARE HOME RESIDENTS AT RISK
A national survey into the hygiene standards within UK care homes has revealed that residents are often exposed to potentially deadly bacteria, such as MRSA and E.coli.
The research, conducted by antimicrobial silver technology specialists BioCote in partnership with Caring Times magazine, examined how care homes were tackling the persistent danger of bacteria.
Microbiologist Dr Richard Hastings, commented: “In facilities like care homes, populated by residents with weak immune systems, some of the most harmful microbes like MRSA and Salmonella can be spread through cross contamination. This increases the risk of residents being infected with superbugs, making infection control measures paramount.”
In the survey of 100 care homes nationwide and after analysis by experts, the headline result found that 100% of respondents had contaminated kitchens, with exactly half of those having levels of problematic bacteria so high they couldn’t be counted. The biggest offenders were kitchen work surfaces, where food is prepared and in and around the kitchen taps and sink.
To compound this, levels of bacteria were also high on other traffic hot spots, such as light switches, door handles, sanitaryware and bedside tables. In fact, the study revealed a wide range of equipment and surfaces to be heavily contaminated with bacteria.
As part of the study, BioCote gave away free bacteria testing kits and industry leading analysis to enable care home managers and owners to gain a confidential and valuable insight into the unseen bacteria in their facilities to help them make better decisions about cleaning in the future.
Continued Dr Hastings: “Even with strict hygiene practices, well-trained staff and the most effective disinfectants on the market, these results send out a clear message that more must be done to protect care home residents from cross contamination.
“However, whilst cleaning is effective and necessary to combat bacteria, it is impossible to clean a surface every minute of the day. Unfortunately, the minute cleaning stops, bacteria can begin to grow, with some harmful microbes able to double in number every 20 minutes.”
In response to this, Dr Hastings is calling on the care homes sector and wider healthcare industry as a whole to think seriously about incorporating products featuring BioCote’s silver antimicrobial technology into their facilities.
“BioCote technology can help reduce bacteria by up to 99% and can be adopted into equipment at the manufacturing stage. This includes work surfaces, sanitaryware, light switches, hand dyers, draining boards, kettles, furniture – the list is endless.
“For any care home manager, my advice is whether you are replacing existing equipment or buying new, you must insist your products feature silver technology. This means manufacturers will have to get up to speed, which is obviously good news for everyone involved in this growing industry.”
For more information on BioCote visit www.biocote.com or call 01902 824450.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
BioCote
BioCote incorporates a unique silver ion technology into products at the time of manufacture, providing built-in antimicrobial protection for the expected lifetime of the product. Ideal for environments where hygiene is essential, BioCoteŽ antimicrobial protection reduces levels of bacteria and mould on surfaces by up to 99.99% and is effective against a wide range of microbes, including MRSA, E. coli, Salmonella.
Further details
For more information, contact: Russell Clarke or Sammi Edwards on 0121 454 9707 or email: Russell.clarke@hroc.co.uk / sammi.edwards@hroc.co.uk
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01 February 2010
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As experts in our field, BioCote Ltd is leading the way in research and evidence-based studies to demonstrate the antimicrobial performance of BioCote® protected products not only in lab tests but also in real life environments.
