Providing effective infection control for veterinary centre

24 September 2018


UK

Cardiology, dermatology and orthopaedic surgery are just some of the many procedures carried out at Paragon Veterinary Referrals. Opening its doors earlier this year, small animals from across the UK are referred to this Wakefield-based, state-of-the art multi-disciplinary centre due to the range of expertise and facilities it provides. Laundry has an important role to play in maintaining professional standards at the practice and crucially helping to prevent the spread of infection too.

Treating anywhere between 25-30 pets on average per day, the busy centre has five theatres including dedicated endoscopy and fluoroscopy facilities, a digital imaging suite and MRI and CT equipment. When deciding which equipment to use in its laundry, Paragon had a number of key requirements. In addition to the machines being able to wash to high temperatures and comply with Paragon’s own policies for infection control, it also needed machines that could handle large loads on a constant basis. In addition, Paragon was also keen to equip its laundry with Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) Category 5 compliant washing machines to provide water backflow protection.

Having had previous experience of Miele machines in its other branch practices, Paragon approached JTM Service to equip its new laundry and provide ongoing support and maintenance. As a Miele accredited partner, JTM was able to help Paragon select the right Miele appliances for its needs. It chose two of Miele’s Benchmark machines, which have large capacity, short cycle times and are energy efficient. It also chose a Miele Little Giant, which is compact in size but built and tested to commercial specifications. Each machine is designed and built to last for at least 30,000 washes.

Paragon also selected three Miele dryers, two energy efficient gas dryers and a tumble dryer with its own internal pump, which removes condensed water itself.

While all laundry at Paragon is taken care of by the auxiliary nurses, a dedicated nurse monitors that compliance with the centre’s infection control guidelines is consistently adhered to. The nurse regularly performs random swabbing of animal bedding and other items to ensure that the laundry process is effectively killing any traces of infection.

Rebecca Lunn, operations co-ordinator at Paragon Veterinary Referrals said: “First impressions matter and the appearance of both our staff and waiting facilities can have a huge impact on our reputation. We’re committed to providing our customers with the best possible care at all times and our laundry facility has a crucial role to play in us delivering on this commitment.”



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