LINEN AND LAUNDARY SERVICES
PRESENTATION BY
R. Deepika
MHA 1st year
INTRODUCTION
• Linen and laundry services are responsible for providing safe, clean,
adequate and timely supply of linen to user units of a hospital at right
time, right price, right quantity and right place.
• Adequate supply of clean linen sufficient for comfort and safety of
patients and personal appearance and pleasant, neatly
attired employees attending patients in fresh crisp uniform do
much sell the hospital to the public.
LINEN
• Linen is a general term used to denote clothing items.
• It includes all the textiles used in hospitals including mattress, bed cover,
pillow cover, bed sheets, towel, blankets, screen, curtain, doctor's coat, table
cover etc.
• Cotton is most preferred and frequently used material as it is cheaper and
more comfortable.
QUALITY OF LINEN
• Proper moisture repellency
• Dry efficiency (quick drying)
• Surface fluffy (soft)
• Tensile srength
• Static safety (poorly static)
• Low flammable
• Easily sanitize
• Good visual appearance
• Microbial repellent
• Non irritant
Clean medical linens are important because :
- They allow patients to feel more comfortable and at
ease.
IMPORTANCE
- Vital simply from a sanitation perspective
OF CLEAN
MEDICAL
- They prevent the trasmission of germs from patient
to patient.
LINEN
- It has aesthetic value.
CLASSIFICATION OF
HOSPITAL LINEN
• Classification is based on use of linen:
a) General purpose linen: This includes curtains, drapes, table clothes and similar items
commonly used in all parts of the hospital. This is the linen which is not used for patient
care.
b) Patient linen: This consists of patient clothing such as patient hospital dress, gowns, coats
etc.
c) Ward linen: This consists of patient-bed clothing such as bed sheets, pillow covers,
blankets used by the patients.
d) OT, Labour, Procedure room linen: This includes items such as gowns, coats, aprons etc
worn by the surgeons, anaesthetist, OT personnel and also surgical gowns, caps, masks,
trolley covers, OT towels etc required in OT, Labour room and Procedure room.
TYPES OF
LINEN
REQUIREMENT OF LINEN
• Amount of linen required in different wards, OT, OPD differs from hospital
to hospital.
• If we presume bed occupency of 100% maximum 4-5 sets of linen are
required as:
- One in use
- One ready for use
- One being processed
- One in transit
- Two set for weekends and holidays/exigency in stock
LAUNDRY SERVICES
• Hospital laundry recievces all the linen material from different areas
like ward, OT, OPD and office area where they undergo process of
sorting,washing, drying, ironing, folding, mending and delivery.
• The OT linen material need special care since it has to be washed
and sterilized carefully. So if possible, the hospital can go for
separate laundry process for OT linen materials alone with
sterilization facility or through CSSD.
An efficient laundry service in a hospital
has the following advantages:
• Provides psychological satisfaction to the patients
and improves the aesthetics.
IMPORTANCE
• Efficient laundry service reflects a positive image of
OF HOSPITAL
the hospital and is
an important public relations variable.
LAUNDRY
• It reduces the incidence of Hospital Acquired
Infection (HAI) by preventing infected laundry from
SERVICES
becoming a source of infections.
• It facilitates provision of quality healthcare services.
Collecting Collecting soiled linen from various places.
FUNCTIONS OF LAUNDRY SERVICES
Sorting Sorting the linen and processing (cleaning) them.
Inspecting and
repairing
Inspecting and repairing or replacing damaged materials.
Distributing clean linen to
Distributing
the respective user department.
Maintaining Maintaining different types of registers.
LOCATION
• Ideally, it should be on the ground floor of an isolated building
connected or adjacent to the water and power plant.
• Hospital laundry should be located away from main service area.
• Close to boiler and water heating system.
• Large hospitals with 500 beds and above should establish their own
mechanized laundry.
• Smaller hospitals should take help of co-operative
mechanized laundry.
• The laundry should be located in an area that has ample daylight
and natural ventilation.
TYPES OF LAUNDRY SERVICES
1. Rental system :
• Especially for the hospital with small size where it will not be economical to
have their own laundry. In this system, the hospital hires laundered linen from
contractor on rental basis.
• This system is advisible for small hospital upto 50 beds.
• Disadvantage for rental system is that it may lead to mixing of linen and
chances of cross infection are more.
2. Contractual system :
• In this system, Hospital owns the linen but has no mean of laundrying it. It hires
a contractor whose job is to collect linen and after laundering delivers to
hospital. Sometimes the hospital also provide space and facility for laundring.
3. In plant system :
• In this system hospital have its own laundry plant. It is one of the best
method for washing hospital linen. This type of laundry is more suitable for
hospital of bigger size.
• The main advantage is loss and damage of linen reduced, reduction in
cross infection.
4. Cooperative system :
• In this system, a single laundry caters to number of hospitals. This system is
most economic. It is suitable for hospital of small size and nursing homes.
• The disadvantages are chance of higher cross infection, also if
there is strike in one laundry, it affects functioning of many hospitals.
INFRASTUCTURE
• Washing machine
• Water extractor
• Dryer
EQUIPMENTS
• Flat work iron
• Hand iron box
• Sewing machine
LAUNDRY CYCLE
STAFFING PATTERN
• There are four category of workers required in laundry;
- Supervisor
- Operational
- Semi-skilled
- Unskiiled
• Training in infection control and basic hygiene should be given to all workers.
• For 500 beds hospital there should be;
- 1 Laundry manager
- 1 Supervisor
- 2 Store keeper
- 6 Orderlies
- 1 Tailor
- 1 Sweeper
- 17 Operators
CONCLUSION
• An efficient and effective linen and laundry services can enhance
patient experience and reduce the risk of cross contamination. It
also plays a vital role in promoting the patient care and image of the
health care organization.
REFERENCE
• http://v2020eresource.org/content/files/laundry_Jan_mar04.pdf
• http://cleancarelinen.com/blog/the-importance-of-hospital-laundry-services
/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068780/
