18562 Online Quaterly Newsletter V5 SINGLE PAGES - Flipbook - Page 15
14
S Uniforms
Home laundering
versus controlled hygiene
management systems
The UK is one of the only countries in Europe where
healthcare worker uniforms are laundered at home, instead
of within a hospital or industrial laundry setting. However,
the response to Covid-19 has highlighted the importance
of thermally disinfecting garments to prevent the spread
of residual microorganisms that might otherwise remain in
healthcare textiles.
During the pandemic, scientists at De Montford University (DMU)
warned that healthcare workers who wash their uniforms at home
could be transmitting coronavirus and healthcare-associated
infections not only to their families, but also to colleagues and
patients. Dr Katie Laird, Reader in Microbiology and Head of the
Infectious Disease Research Group at DMU wrote to the government
advising that all healthcare uniforms should be laundered to
commercial standards to minimise the risk of contamination and
transmission of the virus.
