Summary: This page describes how, when, and by who equipment and environment cleaning should be done within our surgeries.
Who’s it for: All staff
Introduction
- A clean environment reduces the risk of transmission of infection posed by microorganisms (e.g. bacteria, viruses) in that environment. Most microorganisms are found in dust and dirt, so cleaning or vacuuming alone can reduce the amount of organisms in the environment.
- Some microorganisms (e.g. Clostridioides difficile spores) can survive in the environment for long periods of time. So, enhanced cleaning with disinfection is required when a patient has a confirmed or suspected infection. See Isolation of Infectious Disease for more information.
- In the event of a blood and/or body fluid spillage, please refer to Body Fluid Spillages.
- See Waste Management for more information about disposing of general and clinical waste during cleaning.
- When cleaning, always follow standard precautions and, where required, transmission-based precautions (TBPs) (e.g. Hand Hygiene).
- Always wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (e.g. disposable gloves, apron) when using disinfectant products and risk assess the need for facial protection.
- If you are using equipment which is not mentioned in this page, complete a risk assessment before use and include detail on cleaning.
Responsibilities
Nurses & HCAs
- Clean equipment daily as part of your blocked stock check.
- Clean and check any equipment before and after use, and between patients.
- HCAs → Make sure that curtains in all clinical rooms are changed every 6 months (if there are none in the stock room, you can order them from AV Surgery supplies).
- Take part in audits, using our ‘How-to’ guide.
Clinicians
- Clean and check any equipment before and after use, and between patients.
- Clean all large and flat surfaces using an ‘S-shaped pattern' using a clean to dirty, top to bottom approach. This should overlap slightly, but do not go over the same area twice. See pictorial example 👉
- Leave your room clean and tidy at the end of the day.
This cleaning motion reduces the amount of microorganisms that may be transferred from a dirty area to a clean area.
If you notice that a piece of equipment is broken, please let the reception lead know.
How to Clean Medical Equipment
Keep a record of what equipment has been cleaned using our cleaning checklist spreadsheet.
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If any piece of equipment gets contaminated with blood, clean using a virucidal disinfectant which is protective against hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV and at the correct concentration (as advised by the manufacturer).
Environmental Cleaning Schedule
Cleaning Materials & Equipment
- Cleaning cloths used should be single use.
- Make sure that cleaning equipment is stored clean and dry, in a designated lockable area.
- Discard of disposable mop heads after use.
- Wash reusable mop heads after use, in a bucket of detergent and warm water. Then, rinse and store upright and dry.
- If the mop head is visibly stained, discard and replace.
- To disinfect, wash in detergent and warm water as before. Then, rinse and soak in chlorine-based disinfectant solution (at 1000ppm) for 30 minutes before storing upright and dry.
- After use, buckets should be washed with detergent and warm water. Then, dry with paper towels or store upside down to air dry (on a suitable surface).
- To disinfect, wipe the bucket with a chlorine-based disinfectant solution (at 1000ppm) and leave to air dry.
- To clean toilet brush heads after use, place the toilet brush head beneath the water level and flush the toilet.
Do not store equipment in disinfectants overnight.
Colour coding of cleaning equipment
- Our cleaning materials and equipment are colour-coded to ensure that these items are not used in multiple areas.
- Cleaning products such as detergent, bleach and other disinfectants do not need to be colour coded.
This reduces risk of transmission of infection from one area to another (e.g. toilet to kitchen).
