Aged care facilities are susceptible to outbreaks of dangerous
pathogens. Whilst SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has been in the headlines
recently, Norovirus is one of the more common outbreaks with serious
risk to aged care residents.
Having products formulated with buffered peracetic acid and surfactants
available is strongly recommended. They provide the disinfection
efficacy and remove Dry Surface Biofilm, crucial within healthcare
environments.
Surfex®, the world’s first proven Dry Surface Biofilm remover, is a leader in this category. It is known as the all-round performer within Aged Care facilities as it offers “all in one’’ cleaning and disinfection of surfaces. Surfex®is an exceptional product for dealing with outbreaks. With its unique formula of buffered peracetic acid plus surfactants it provides the disinfection efficacy and Dry Surface Biofilm removal required. It’s approved for use on environmental surfaces.
Managing an outbreak
Containing an outbreak quickly is critical, so have highly effective
products on hand. Surfex® is used to clean and disinfect non-critical
medical devices including bed frames, stethoscopes, IV stands and high
touch areas such as door handles and benchtops. It requires a 5-minute
contact time at 20°C for disinfection of most bacteria, fungi or viruses.
A 10-minute contact time is required for Mycobacteria (TB) or if there
is a known outbreak of Clostridioides difficile. It kills SARS-CoV-2 in 60
seconds.
Surfex® is a popular ‘’go-to’’ product because it;
Outbreak Best Practice
(1) Clean the rooms of all the unaffected residents first.
Clean with a detergent-based product i.e. Speedy Clean Wipes or Temp HD from Whiteley. Then disinfect these areas using Surfex®. It requires direct contact with surfaces for a minimum of 5
minutes (10 minutes for contamination with Clostridium difficile and
Mycobacteria (TB.)
(2) Next clean the potentially contaminated areas in the facility.
Clean with a detergent-based product. This is likely to include
toilets, showers, dirty utility/pan rooms, chairs, bedside tables,
floors, handles, handrails, phones and any surfaces that are
exposed to regular hand contact. It is important to note that gross
soiling such as faeces or vomit may inactivate disinfectants, so
prior cleaning is essential. Then disinfect these areas using Surfex®.
See contact times in point 1 above.
(3) Focus on disinfecting hard surfaces and high touch points.
This includes handrails, door handles, taps and light switches using
Surfex® twice daily during an outbreak.
(4) Bathroom Size.
Bathrooms/toilets should be cleaned twice daily and when visible soiling occurs. Shower chairs should be cleaned with Surfex® between each residents use during an outbreak.
Safer linen during outbreaks
As an extra precaution linen can be soaked in a 5L bucket of Surfex® made up as per instructions. Soak for a minimum of 5 minutes to kill Norovirus. After soaking ring out linens, rinse and ring out again before placing into the washing machine.
Celebrating 90 years of business with Export Customers 22nd September
Vale Professor Mary-Louise McLaws 17th March 1953 – 12th August
Hand hygiene saves millions of lives every year when performed
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a day of celebration advocating
Whiteley offers advice, training and practical support for all of your infection prevention, medical device reprocessing, and professional cleaning needs.
You can view our product safety data sheets, technical bulletins and find out about the products from our range.
