GOVERNMENT INACTION LEAVES COMMERCIAL HOSPITALITY LAUNDRY INDUSTRY ON ITS KNEES

TSA warns that lack of support puts thousands of laundry workers’ jobs at risk

Rishi Sunak has forgotten the hospitality laundry industry yet again.  Still no support.  Despite determined lobbying by the Textile Services Association (TSA) including, most recently, an open letter asking – pleading – the chancellor to think again. The commercial laundries that service the hospitality sector, employing around 28,000 people, have been left to sink or swim.

The TSA, which represents the UK’s commercial hospitality laundry industry, is once again calling on the government to help before many of its members are forced out of business for good. 

“The government is not learning,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA.  “Or perhaps it doesn’t care.  The first national lockdown nearly destroyed the commercial laundries who service the hospitality industry.  They had virtually no help from the government as they were deemed ineligible for rate rebates and hospitality grants, so apart from the furlough scheme, which is ending, they were left on their own.  The new Job Support Scheme won’t help, either – with business volumes down by 70% or more, hospitality laundries can hardly afford to pay staff to work, let alone pay them NOT to work.

“Our industry is on its knees, and the government is just turning its back on us.” 

The situation hospitality laundries find themselves in is aggravated by the fact that, encouraged by the government, many borrowed money to see them through the summer.  Money which they have to pay back at some point.  But Covid-19 is still here and their business volumes are dropping again as local lockdowns are getting more widespread. 

The TSA has called for extensions to the furlough scheme or grant support for those businesses that supply the hospitality sector in lockdown areas.  “Without help, they will go under,” says Stevens. “Tens of thousands of jobs are at risk if the government does not take immediate action to support our industry.” 

If you wish to discuss the above or if you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on  020 3151 5600 or at tsa@tsa-uk.org.

Update from the TSA Chief Executive

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Could ‘clean’ healthcare uniforms be COVID-19 carriers?

TSA backs calls for research into textiles and infection control; ‘PHE should revise 2007 guidelines’

The Textile Services Association (TSA) is backing urgent calls for research into the ability of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, to survive on linen and clothing, even after it is washed in a domestic setting.  It’s especially concerning because many nurses and care home workers wash their uniforms at home – and there is evidence that some infection outbreaks in healthcare settings have been caused by inadequately managed washing equipment.  The TSA is also calling for Public Health England to revise guidelines the Association believes are outdated.

Currently Public Health England recommends uniforms are washed in commercial laundries, but it is not compulsory.  Furthermore, it says that domestic washing should be adequate.  However, this is based on reviews published in 2007 – and experts are saying that, especially in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s high time for proper research that will give accurate guidance on the matter. There is also increasing consensus within the research community that the infrastructure, processes and quality standards in a commercial laundry mean they are much better equipped to deal with all the risks associated with infectious textiles than is possible in a household or on-premises laundry setting.

“It can’t be right to base guidance on reviews that were done 13 years ago,” says David Stevens, CEO of the Textile Services Association.  The TSA is currently conducting a survey of care home owners to find out about their current practices.  The Association is also working with the DHSC, who have agreed to review the infection control procedures around laundry.  “They have said they would welcome a revised guidance document that can be issued to the care home sector,” says Stevens.

“When it comes to best practice for health workers who are laundering their uniforms at home, the PHE guidance is onerous,” Stevens adds.  “It says that workers should transport the uniform in a disposable plastic bag, and wash at the highest temperature it can tolerate, in a separate half load, and it should be ironed or tumble dried.   It’s a lot to ask of a tired worker just home from a stressful shift.”

Previous research by Dr Katie Laird of De Montfort University (DMU) found that healthcare workers were not always adhering to these policies when laundering at home, underlining the risk of inadequate decontamination.  It showed 44% of workers were laundering their uniforms at temperatures below 60°C, and 40% laundered them with other clothing items.

The most recent paper on the subject was published in August 2020 by Dr Laird and her colleague, Dr Lucy Owen from the Infectious Disease Research Group at DMU.  They point out the need for even more rigorous infection control, following the emergence of COVID-19, and underline the lack of empirical research into the role of textiles as potential fomites (infection carriers) in healthcare environments.  Furthermore, they reference a number of studies that indicate that microorganisms can survive on textiles for extended periods of time, and case studies that link outbreaks with inadequate washing processes and infrastructure in on-premise healthcare settings. This is important because it underlines the infection control benefits of the measures taken in a commercial laundry, compared to those in a domestic or on-premise setting.

The article, called The role of textiles as fomites in the healthcare environment: a review of the infection control risk, is available to download here. 

“Given what the experts are saying, surely we should be erring on the side of caution and ensuring that healthcare workers’ uniforms are washed in commercial laundries, with the appropriate hygiene certification,” says Stevens.  “We will be lobbying the government and PHE to fund research to establish the facts, or at the very least to revise the current guidelines.”

If you wish to discuss the above or if you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on  020 3151 5600 or at tsa@tsa-uk.org.

Hospitality Laundries Charge to the Rescue of the NHS and Care Homes

New hygiene certification means UK laundries can help healthcare sector through C-19 crisis

Over thirty hospitality laundries have already signed up to a new certification scheme that will allow them to help the UK’s health and social care system  manage the increasing amount of dirty linens and textiles that is being created by the Covid-19 pandemic.  The demand is expected to rise in the coming weeks considering the Government strategy to move from disposable to reusable PPE gowns.  Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Social Care is looking to use commercial laundries to ensure all adult social care facilities have access to hygienically cleaned and safe linens and textiles.

Textile Services Association (TSA), which represents the UK’s commercial laundries, has developed the scheme in consultation with NHSI (NHS Improvement) and other Government departments.  Called the Interim Healthcare Laundry Certification (IHLC), it gives laundries that normally serve the hospitality sector a fast track to the specialist standards of hygiene required by the NHS, care homes and other medical facilities.

“C-19 has created unprecedented levels of healthcare laundry, which requires specialist processing,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA.  “The increase was in the order of half a million PPE gowns every day at the peak of this pandemic.  Plus there are the uniforms, towels, bed linen and patients’ clothes.  To cope with that, the UK needs more specialist laundries.”

Under normal circumstances, laundries that want to service the healthcare sector need to achieve BS EN 14065 certification.  This is the standard that specifies the appropriate approach to managing bio-contamination risks and providing fit-for-purpose textiles with sufficient microbiological quality.  However, the urgent requirement for more laundry capacity, due to C-19, led to the creation of the new, fast track certification.

To achieve the Interim Healthcare Laundry Certification, laundries need to meet the requirements of the Department of Health’s technical memorandum HTM 01-04: Decontamination of Linen for Health and Social Care.  This provides a clear path for commercial laundries to prove they consistently decontaminate healthcare linen and manage related risks to patient safety.  The TSA has published a guidance document, Interim Healthcare Laundry Certification / Response to COVID-19, which gives full details on how laundries can meet these requirements.

“We want to ensure the laundry industry is ready to service the increasing needs of the healthcare sector,” says Stevens.  “We are delighted that so many laundries have already taken up the scheme, and we expect more to follow.”

There will be even more need for this support, with the massive increase in healthcare laundry requirements as the UK switches from disposable PPE gowns to reusable ones.  “It’s something we’ve been campaigning for over the last few months,” says Stevens.  “Reusable gowns are just as safe, they are much cheaper in the long run and they are better for the environment – disposable PPE is creating millions of tonnes of clinical waste.

“We’ve been working with the Cabinet Office and NHSI as they switch supply away from single use to these more robust and sustainable multi use products.  At the same time, we’ve been talking to the DHSC in the first steps towards a long-term partnership with the aim of bringing hygienically safe textile services to all the UK’s healthcare sectors, including adult social care facilities.  We now need to ensure that every healthcare facility in the country can have a certified laundry service.”

The hospitality laundry sector has been crushed by the C-19 lockdown, which saw virtually 100% of its business disappear overnight as hotels, restaurants and sports facilities closed.  “The good news for the UK is that there is plenty of capacity in the commercial laundry industry, so we can cope with the increased demand from the health sector,” says Stevens.  “The new interim certification will ensure these laundries are meeting the strict standards healthcare demands.”

The TSA’s guidance document, Interim Healthcare Laundry Certification / Response to COVID-19, is available to download here.

If you wish to discuss the above or if you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on  020 3151 5600 or at tsa@tsa-uk.org.

Rest Assured: UK Laundries Pledge to Hospitality Industry

TSA works with UK Hospitality on laundry advice in a Covid-19 world

UK laundries are working hard to support the re-emerging hospitality market by establishing new protocols for a Covid-19 world.  The Textile Services Association (TSA) has worked with UK Hospitality to produce the Rest Assured Pledge, a package of advice, guidance and certification that is designed to help hotels, restaurants and leisure facilities ensure the safe handling of linen and textiles.

Key to the successful reopening of the hospitality sector is making customers feel safe and secure.  That’s why the Pledge includes a Rest Assured certificate that TSA laundries can give to hospitality operators to display, verifying that their linens and towels have been hygienically cleaned.  There are various versions of the certificate, for different sectors. 

The Pledge includes a 16-point coronavirus briefing for operators, which covers a wide range of topics.  They include the basics, like keeping clean and dirty linen segregated; the practical, such as storing soiled linen for collection on a ground floor, near to an external exit but away from public foot flow; and the advanced, including dealing with dirty linen of a guest who develops Covid-19 symptoms. 

As you’d expect, the Pledge also includes a pledge, which covers the protocols that TSA member laundries will follow to ensure not only that textiles are cleaned to the highest standards, but also that they are handled safely.  They include:

  • An overarching commitment to deliver the highest industry standards
  • Sanitisation of textiles, using chemicals and/or temperature
  • Protection of cleaned linen after washing
  • Regular disinfection of laundry transport cages
  • Delivery vehicles regularly deep-cleaned inside and out
  • All laundry plants compliant with Working Safely Guidelines – Covid Secure

“Going forward, it’s critical that laundries and hospitality operators are able to meet new operational procedures to protect staff and customers,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA.  “Hospitality needs laundries, and laundries need the hospitality industry.  We are two sides of the same coin and we are stronger together.  The Rest Assured Pledge will help us meet the challenges of the new normal.”

The TSA is the trade association for the textile care services industry. The TSA represent commercial laundry and textile rental businesses. Membership ranges from family-run operations through to large, multi-national companies. If you wish to discuss the above or if you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us on  020 3151 5600 or at tsa@tsa-uk.org.