Does the sector have public trust issues?

By Professor Martin Green OBE

IN THE wake of the Covid pandemic, research has shown that the care sector has a long way to go to build back the trust it used to have from the public.

This research made stark reading and showed that half of the British public lacked confidence in the care sector and would be concerned if a friend or relative moved into a care home.

Nine out of 10 people believed there needed to be more care staff within care homes, and they have also lost confidence in the quality of care following the pandemic.

These findings also coincide with a doubling of public dissatisfaction with the NHS, and it is clear that both health and social care have to do much work to re-establish public trust and confidence in our services.

One of the major concerns that people have relates to hygiene standards within both health and care.

This was particularly singled out as an issue in the social care sector, where the public was concerned that standards of hygiene may have caused some of the infections that led to so many Covid deaths.

Whatever the evidence tells us, there is a real challenge in trying to shift people’s perceptions, which are often not born out of evidence, but are developed through a lack of understanding or misrepresentation of the issues by the media.

One of the ways care homes can turn the tide of these negative attitudes is to ensure that the standards of hygiene and cleanliness are at the highest level possible and that when people do visit or enter care homes, they have confidence that infection control and hygiene are a priority for the service.

An impeccably clean home is a fantastic way of changing people’s perceptions of care, and ensuring that people have confidence in the safety of the services that are provided.

The sector is very fortunate to have several products that are scientifically proven to give the highest level of cleanliness and hygiene, and are also renowned for the fact that they eradicate many of the viruses that cause infectious diseases.

P&G Professional provides a range of products with noticeably superior cleaning and sanitising solutions specially developed for care services.

With a portfolio of the world’s most recognised brands, which are trusted to overcome the toughest professional challenges, P&G Professional gives residents and their families confidence in the hygiene of care homes.

This helps to encourage them back into the care sector. P&G Professional is committed to helping care homes capture the value of a clean environment in a post-Covid world, and using P&G products will ensure that you continue operating services as safely and hygienically as possible.

Flash Professional disinfecting multi-surface cleaner is proven to kill 99.99 per cent of coronaviruses and bacteria (all enveloped viruses based on EN14476, 15 seconds contact time).

These products must be used to manufacturers’ specifications but are easily deployed by the cleaning team within a care home.

P&G Professional has expertise in providing products for the care sector, which has led to the development of products which are not only the best on the market but are simple to use.

This helps care homes that often struggle to get enough staff to streamline their cleaning practices and get the job done right the first time.

This means we can improve efficiency and ensure hygiene and infection control standards are at the highest level possible. n Professor Martin Green OBE is an Expert Advisory Council member for P&G Professional and the chief executive of Care England.

P&G Professional products include familiar household brands such as Fairy, Febreze and Ariel, which can help to give a sense of homeliness.

The power of familiar smells from cleaning products cannot be underestimated, and it is essential because it provides a sense of well-being to care home residents, especially those with dementia.

These products are also formulated to be effective at low temperatures and short-cycle washes.

As we all know, energy and utility costs have risen significantly over recent months, and care homes need to ensure the laundry services are not only delivering the highest level of cleanliness and infection control but are also mindful that they should use less water and energy, which is both good for the environment and for the care provider.

P&G Professional understand these issues and have spent time ensuring that their products meet the need for the highest levels of hygiene and also help to reduce energy and water usage.

There is much to do for health and social care services to rebuild public trust and confidence, but care providers can rest assured that P&G Professional has a range of products to help them deliver this objective.