Infection control is a critical priority in the healthcare sector, as even minor outbreaks can have serious consequences for patients and staff. Effective hygiene is key to reducing the risk of infection and maintaining a safe and clean healthcare environment. ATP (adenosine triphosphate) hygiene monitoring systems can play a crucial role in ensuring the highest levels of hygiene in healthcare facilities. ATP testing provides real-time results that help healthcare facilities monitor and maintain the cleanliness of the numerous high-touch surfaces. These high touch areas include bed rails, door handles, toilet seats, furniture and medical equipment.

Why ATP testing and Infection Control?

The use of ATP testing in healthcare environments provides key benefits:

• Improved Patient Safety: ATP testing helps to prevent the spread of harmful pathogens, such as MRSA and C. difficile, by identifying potential hygiene risks and allowing for prompt rectification.
• Proactive Infection Control: By providing real-time results, ATP testing allows healthcare facilities to monitor hygiene levels and take proactive measures to maintain high standards of cleanliness for users.
• Reduced Risk of Outbreaks: Regular hygiene monitoring helps to minimise the risk of outbreaks and protect the reputation of healthcare organisations.
• Enhanced Cost Savings: Implementing ATP hygiene cleaning verification monitoring as part of your overall cleaning and infection control program, can save healthcare facilities money by reducing the need for deep cleans, and ward closures. Prior to ATP cleaning verification, the monetary savings were in the region of £54,000 (2002 figure), for an NHS hospital per ward per annum (excluding additional staff costs and lost bed days).⁽¹⁾ Currently, the NHS spends approximately £725 million on cleaning per annum. Research has shown and was also reported in the 2016 NHS Productivity Review, that only 40% of cleaning practices are followed. Equating to a potential wastage of £400 million per annum. Even if small amounts of changes to cleaning practices were adopted, this could potentially lead to £93 million in cost savings.⁽¹⁾

A robust hygiene monitoring and management system are seen to be critical for maintaining the health and safety of all users of the healthcare premises by facility management. By providing real-time results and enabling immediate rectifications (may require multidisciplinary cooperation) of hygiene risk areas.⁽²⁾ The introduction of ATP testing, helps to ensure that healthcare settings remain free of harmful pathogens. As well as supports achieving the highest standards of infection control. This is now being recognised by NHS Trusts across the country.

How to get started

Gem Scientific supply leading ATP hygiene monitoring equipment and consumables by industry experts like 3M™ and Hygiena™. Which will provide your organisation with clear test results. To ensure that you can implement hygiene procedures to the highest standard. They also allow data ownership through their cloud-based software vital for any audit.

• Hygiena™ EnSURE™ Touch Hygiene Monitoring System
• 3M Clean-Trace LM1 Hygiene Monitoring and Management System

Our hygiene hub discusses further how ATP technology works and why you should be using it. Click here for the Hygiene Hub References:

1. “The unrealised benefits of an ATP cleaning verification system” – Open Access Government -https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/atp-cleaning-verification-system-benefits/31995/
2. “National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021” – NHS England, April 2021 - https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/B0271-national-standards-of-healthcare-cleanliness-2021.pdf

Further reading:

• How The Orders of St. John Care Trust Ensures Residents, Staff, and Visitors Are Safe
• Use of ATP Readings to Predict a Successful Hygiene Intervention in the Workplace to Reduce the Spread of Viruses on Fomites