Action 3.13

Clean and safe environment

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Action 3.13 states

The health service organisation has processes to maintain a clean, safe and hygienic environment – in line with the current edition of the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of infection in Healthcare and jurisdictional requirements – to:

  1. Respond to environmental risks, including novel infections
  2. Require cleaning and disinfection using products listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, consistent with manufacturers’ instructions for use and recommended frequencies
  3. Provide access to training on cleaning processes for routine and outbreak situations, and novel infections
  4. Audit the effectiveness of cleaning practice and compliance with its environmental cleaning policy
  5. Use the results of audits to improve environmental cleaning processes and compliance with policy

Intent

Health service organisations identify and respond to environmental and infection risks by providing a clean environment for patients and the workforce.

Reflective question

  • Does the organisation have an environmental cleaning policy that includes the need to audit compliance?
  • What processes are used to maintain a clean and hygienic environment in line with the current edition of the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare and with state or territory requirements?
  • How does the organisation ensure the workforce is trained on cleaning processes for routine and outbreak situations, and novel infections?
  • Does the organisation use the audit results to improve environmental cleaning processes?

Examples of evidence

  • Policies, procedures and/or protocols for environmental cleaning consistent with the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infections in Health Care and relevant state and territory requirements
  • Public health response, pandemic and/or outbreak management plan that incorporates environmental cleaning
  • Relevant documentation from committees and other meetings where environmental cleaning policies and procedures are reviewed and discussed
  • Contracts with external cleaning providers that outline the health service organisation's policies and procedures
  • List(s) of Therapeutic Goods Administration approved cleaning and disinfection products permitted for use in the health service organisation
  • Material safety data sheets or chemical register of approved cleaning resources
  • Manufacturer's instructions for use of cleaning resources
  • Organisational cleaning checklists, schedules and cleaning methodologies
  • Environmental risk assessment that includes actions to address identified risks
  • Audit results of cleaning programs and their effectiveness 
  • Improvement or action plans informed by environmental cleaning audits results
  • Training programs for the workforce including contractors on environmental cleaning
  • Use of the organisation’s incident management and investigation system and risk management system to identify and improve environmental cleaning
  • Processes to review and evaluate the effectiveness of the cleaning program such as regular observation and audits of cleaning practices
  • Feedback from consumers and the workforce on environmental cleaning
  • Results from consumer surveys or complaints and action taken to address gaps.

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