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Clothing worn in an operating theatre, such as surgical scrubs and surgical gowns are designed to be laundered using specific protocols to ensure proper sanitation and infection control.
It is generally not recommended to launder this clothing at home due to the risk of not achieving the appropriate level of cleanliness and sterility required for healthcare settings.
All hospitals have strict guidelines and protocols for laundering surgical attire to prevent the spread of infections. These guidelines often include using specific detergents, PH testing the water, specific wash temperatures and other processes to ensure the clothing is thoroughly cleaned.
When it comes to laundering theatre hats, most hospitals have existing policies of wearing disposable caps and discarding them into the bin. This practice changed in the 1990’s as before then, all hospitals wore fabric reusable theatre hats which were simply laundered, just like scrubs!
Now most hospital trusts outsource their laundering requirements to specialist companies who are experts in their field, to ensure stringent processes are followed in a controlled environment to ensure effective sanitation.
In line with a greener NHS, many hospitals are now opting to go back to reusable fabric theatre hats again and looking to change away from the wasteful disposable hats which they have been wearing for the past 30+ years.
Many hospitals are doing this to include the clinician's names and roles which has a proven plethora of benefits, the main advantage is improving patient safety by enhancing communication combined with breaking down hierarchal barriers.
One of the many obstacles to this change in practice, however, is laundering the hats! All hospitals have an infection control department, and all have differing opinions and recommendations for the laundering of theatre hats. Some support the home laundering protocol whilst others do not.
There are various ways to assess the home laundering aspects, some IPCs agree that if staff take their own underwear home to wash then why is a hat different and staff should be trusted to launder them according to the wash guidance they provide?
On the other hand, some staff may not effectively be laundering their worn theatre hats which could increase the risk of a surgical site infection and so differing opinion deems that following the same stringent guidance and rationale for surgical scrubs should be applied to the hats.
We have great news to share, if hospitals are already using Elis as a laundry provider for their surgical scrubs/other clothing, then they will look to support the laundering of our theatre badge hats as well.
Let us or your Elis account manager know if you would like to implement our theatre badge hats into your trust. Our theatre badge hats can also be laundered at home so no matter what the opinion or guideline, we can provide named reusable theatre hats which will:
Reduce waste
Replace all disposable theatre hats - including hats for visitors and students.
Improve communication within operating theatre departments
Enhance patient safety
Improve the patient journey
Help to make a greener and safer NHS