UK
The recent Society of Hospital Linen Services and Laundry Managers (SHLSLM) Forum fielded a diverse array of speakers who addressed issues from preventive maintenance, through procurement to recycling and utilising polyester and cotton and thence to the perennial problem of linen loss and abuse of linen and what to do about it.
SHLSLM chair Dave Grimshaw welcomed delegates to the Parkway Hotel and Spa at Cwmbran in Wales on 15-16 October saying it was good to see faces old and alike. He said holding the event in Wales had enabled many who would not normally be able to make it to attend and said the Forum will, in future, be moving around the country to maximise accessibility for more people who would like to be part of it.
He added: “We have a nice selection of speakers across a broad spectrum so there is something for everyone, and questions are welcomed. The event itself is also a great opportunity for networking – and golf. Thanks to Christeyns which organised golfing (pre-Forum) – and won most of the prizes.”
Preventive maintenance planning
With the preliminaries safely out of the way, the first speaker was Paul Haden, managing director of Laundry Engineering Services, which does a significant amount of work for NHS laundries, with engineers covering from Kent to Scotland. He was keen to stress that laundry safety is key and that paying attention to preventive maintenance planning (PPM) is how to achieve that while also anticipating problems that could result in unwanted disruptive and costly downtime.
“I am trying to get you to think about where you can do something different to think ahead a little bit more. There is always a time when things don’t work, so maximise functionality. Production patterns if disrupted can have a major effect on results. PPM isn’t just about paperwork. PPM is about having a schedule, a plan, to do things on aa regular basis. You will notice the change when you get your head around it. Of course, it is impossible to eliminate every issue.
“I am challenging attendees to take notice of what you might see, said Haden, who gave an example of a committed PPM practitioner he had known who, every morning, would switch on everything in the laundry and stand in the middle of the floor. “He reckoned he could sense and feel anything was wrong. And he was good at it.”
Basically, PPM is about doing audits and checks but it is also about putting things right when the inevitable happens. “Some laundries are really good at it, others not so much,” Haden concluded.
Designing for recyclability
Tim Cross, founder of The Circular Textiles Foundation, proclaimed that we must get used to the idea that polyester is the way forward whether we like it or not. He wants to accelerate world-wide change by bridging the gap between responsible production and scalable recycling. Cross helps brands design for sustainability while reducing environmental impact, driving practical solutions that transform the ways businesses approach sustainability. His message was that polyester, far from being the enemy, is a fantastic vehicle for making all sorts of textiles that can perpetuate closed loop recycling ie., where they are recycled back into production rather than becoming waste.
Cross is also managing director of Project Plan B which adapted from a linear to a circular recycled polyester system which eliminates the use of virgin polyester, saving vital natural resources and reducing CO2 emissions. It has created a system for end of life, identifying its garments with a designed to be recycled mark, which enables the product to be collected for recycling at end of use. This innovation ensures that all Project Plan B garments can be diverted from landfill or incineration and instead recycled into raw polyester ready to be used again.
- All garments are made from 100% recycled materials
- Every garment is designed to be recycled
- Each garment can be 100% recycled by Project Plan B
For those who believe polyester is limited in the purposes it can be used for, he blew that assumption out to the water. Delegates also head that The Salvation Army vehicle fleet is being used for collection of garments for recycling as it has a very efficient transport network across the nation.
Linen and laundry challenges
Emma Clyne, principal category manager and Jo Goodwin, category manager at NHS Shared Business Services were on hand to discuss public sector procurement and framework agreements. These cover linen and laundry, sustainable healthcare recycling and waste management and building safety and fire compliance. Both speakers embrace sustainable procurement.
Of course, the perennial problem of linen loss and misplacement was discussed. “Blame the nurses” somebody cried out to general hilarity from the audience but behind the amusement was frustration. As one delegate pointed out: “If you can’t make people responsible for losses nothing will happen. There are no repercussions.”
The response from the podium was that the Forum is a great opportunity for getting feedback. “Linen loss and theft figures are huge and we aren’t going to solve it.”
Somebody commented: “It is easier to write a check and buy a new towel than it is to try to address the problem.”
This in turn raised a response from the audience that RFID technology should be given a chance in the NHS. “Perhaps it is time for the younger generation to be educated about its benefits. It does work,” said Philip Ghosh of SHLSLM supplier partner Biko UK. Prior to joining Biko UK, Ghosh worked for nearly a decade on RFID projects in the UK, selling Tagsys (now HID) products.
“RFID as a means to reduce linen losses is an effective solution when implemented and utilised in the correct manner. What it cannot do is combat the institutionalised behaviour of NHS staff. There seems a distinct lack of training and information available for existing care staff on how healthcare textiles should be managed which is then exacerbated by the habits of a lifetime from experienced staff who consistently dispose of linen that could be washed and recirculated, regardless of what information they have been given.
“If potential nursing staff and healthcare professionals could learn about textile care as part of their training, or at the very least include it as part of induction, then we are educating the new generations on what the correct procedures are and to let the laundry make the decisions on whether linen should be washed or discarded. If we don’t change attitudes and training then the problems will just continue to exist.”
The subject of washing nurses’ uniforms at home in domestic washers – which results in very poor infection control – also came up, but with every trust having its own guidelines, not even rules, until such time as these policies are made by the NHS centrally this practice will inevitably continue. However, the speakers did promise to feed back concerns and suggestions up the chain on both RFID and domestic washing of uniforms.
Innovative matting solutions
Tim Hobday of M + M Matting UK told delegates his company supplies launderable matting globally including entrance, logo imprinted and anti-fatigue matting. He said the company supplies the majority of commercial laundries globally. He told the room about a special sort of matting pioneered by the company made from old fishing nets and recycled carpet which is then spun into nylon and called Econyl.
He also cleared up the conundrum of whether mats should be tumble dried or left to dry naturally. “Definitely tumble dry as it re-knots the pile,” he said.
Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust (F&TCT)
F&TCT chief executive Anna Pangbourne told delegates that over the past five years the charity has ward £33,000 to families who work in the textile care sector. She shared details of how SHLSLM’s 2024 donation has supported the Trust’s work ensuring the children of textile care workers undergoing financial hardship receive essential items. As well as SHLSLM, nine other UK textile care companies are supporting the charity.
FTCT grants help industry families afford essentials at home, like children’s clothing, essential appliances and bedroom furniture, supporting the Trust’s belief that when basic needs are met at home, it creates benefits for families, employers, and the industry as a whole.
From private to public
SHLSLM delegates next heard from Graham Roberts Tech IOSH, MILT, who with 20 years of laundry experience, successfully made the transition from the private sector to the NHS. For the past two years he has held the posts of estates and facilities commercial services manager, NHS commercial laundry general manager, head of trust transport and switchboard operations across the Greater Manchester area, including Oldham, Salford, Bury and Rochdale. The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS providers in the country.
Before moving across, he was employed at Johsons Hotel Linen in Chester as production manager. Roberts spoke of his experiences on his laundry journey and his current role.
He is part of a dedicated team of around 20,000 staff looking after over one million people across the area, as well as providing more specialist services to patients from Greater Manchester and beyond. Patients and service users are enabled to access a range of integrated health and social care services at home or in their community or be treated and cared for in one of our four hospitals – Salford Royal Hospital, The Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary or Fairfield General Hospital in Bury.
Roberts is also a member of the TSA, the Guild of Cleaners and Launderers and the Worshipful Company of Launderers.
Roberts was proposed and seconded to be the new committee member for SHLSLM when James Walker steps down from his position.
Cotton lives on
Jennifer Decker, a partner at QSA Partners, is a sustainability and programme delivery specialist who has led carbon, waste and circular economy strategies t organisations including EDF, London St Pancras, WRAP, London Gatwick and Mace Group. Her presentation led SHLSLM delegates along a learning curve about a global change programme called Cotton Lives On. The programme aims to ensure that cotton is not wasted at the end of its working life, but carries on being useful. Cotton Lives On is targeting laundries to send end-of-life cotton to the organisation so it can make bed rolls for homeless people.
Inspired by a similar and successful programme in the US, the Cotton Lives On™ recycling programme was created in 2022 as a call-to-action to recycle cotton and give it new life by transforming it into something new.
The programme strives to inspire sustainable living by educating consumers on cotton’s natural life-cycle and divert unwanted old cottons from the landfill. As a result of this, the programme can help to close the loop on cotton sustainability while emphasising the benefits and environmental stewardship of U.S. cotton.
Find out more here https://cottonliveson.org/our-programme/.
