Care equipment is easily contaminated with blood, other body fluids, secretions, excretions and infectious agents and this can spread infection.

Important words and what they meanRoutine cleaning is regular cleaning which is carried out on a scheduled basis, not on an unplanned basis and not in response to an outbreak. For routine cleaning general purpose detergent and water solution or detergent impregnated wipes are sufficient.Cleaning is the removal of any dirt by use of an appropriate cleaning agent such as detergent.Decontamination is removing, or killing pathogens on an item or surface to make it safe for handling, re-use or disposal, by cleaning, disinfection and/or sterilisation.Disinfectant is a chemical used to reduce the number of infectious agents from an object or surface to a level that means they are not harmful to health.Detergent is a chemical cleansing agent that can dissolve oils and remove dirt.

 

If the resident has a known infection or the equipment is contaminated with blood or body fluids, then a disinfection agent needs to be used.

Note:

Do not use household bleach as the required dilution cannot be guaranteed.

Do not refill spray containers for cleaning products as there is a risk of contamination. 

What you need for safe management of care equipment

• Cleaning/disinfectant products:
  • general purpose detergent and water solution/detergent impregnated wipes

or

• • combined detergent/disinfectant solution at a dilution of 1,000 parts per million available chlorine (ppm available chlorine (av.cl.)

or

• • a general purpose neutral detergent in a solution of warm water followed by disinfection solution of 1,000ppm av.cl.
• Paper towels/disposable cloths.

Types of equipment

There are three different types of care equipment that you will use in your care home and it is important that you know how to deal with each type.

You should follow manufacturers guidance for all equipment and products you use including those used for cleaning and decontamination.

Before using any sterile equipment, you should check that:

• the packaging is intact
• there are no obvious signs of packaging contamination
• the expiry date remains valid

 

1. Single-use - equipment which is used once on a single resident and then discarded.

Single-use equipment must never be reused even on the same resident. The packaging carries the symbol.

Note:

Needles and syringes are single-use devices. They should never be used for more than one resident or reused to draw up additional medication.

Never give medications from a single-dose vial or intravenous (IV) bag to multiple residents.

 

2. Single individual use – equipment which can be reused by same resident for example a sling and decontaminated following use as per manufacturers instructions.

 

3. Reusable non-invasive equipment (often referred to as ‘communal equipment’) – equipment which can be reused on more than one resident following decontamination between each use for example commode, moving and handling equipment or bath hoist.

Cleaning or decontaminating reusable non-invasive equipment

Residents should be given their own reusable (communal) non-invasive equipment where possible.  

Reusable equipment should be checked frequently for cleanliness and signs of integrity. This will include mattresses and pillows which should be clean, have a waterproof covering which is in a good state of repair. 

Pillows used on resident’s beds may not require a waterproof cover if they are single resident use and are subject to regular checks/laundering. Resident pillows may require labelling where appropriate.

Reusable equipment should be cleaned or decontaminated:  

• between individual use
• after blood and/or body fluid contamination
• as part of the regular scheduled cleaning schedules/process
• before inspection, servicing or repair

Staff should:

• follow the local cleaning protocol/schedule which should include responsibility for, frequency of and method of decontamination required
• use a general purpose detergent and water solution/detergent impregnated wipes

or

a combined detergent/disinfectant solution at a dilution of 1,000 parts per million available chlorine (ppm available chlorine (av.cl.)

or

a general purpose neutral detergent in a solution of warm water followed by disinfection solution of 1,000ppm av.cl;

• make up cleaning/disinfection solution following manufacturers guidance
• follow the manufacturer’s contact time for the cleaning/disinfection solution
• rinse and dry reusable equipment then store it clean and dry

 

Note: When an organisation use products or adopts practices that differ from those stated in this manual, that individual organisation is responsible for ensuring safe systems of work including the completion of risk assessments approved through local governance procedures.

Resources

Read the management of care equipment literature review to find out more about why we do things this way for care equipment.

 

The decontamination of non-invasive care equipment poster can help staff decide how to clean equipment.

 

 

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