Infection control

Many UK hospitals have already implemented reusable theatre caps into their operating theatre departments in place of disposable caps. To enable this change in protocol, it is advised to pass the project through the hospital’s Infection Control team first because this approval is often compulsory prior to going down the procurement route which is another requisite.

Every NHS trust has a different infection control department who may have a varying opinion. IPC teams may have contrasting opinions to each other and have their own experiences and beliefs so their priorities, thoughts, and rules can be different: even to other hospitals local to them.

Some Infection prevention teams allow staff to take their theatre hats home to wash and some do not.

Rationale for home washing is that staff in all other parts of the hospital take their uniforms home to wash as a part of their daily routine and the counter to this is that some staff may not effectively wash their own theatre hats so this could be a cross-contamination risk.

We have worked with NHS trusts who have tried and tested infection control policies in place, and these have been working well for several years now. We are more than happy to share our customers’ policies (subject to permissions) with anyone interested in making the switch to reusable scrubs hats.

One of our main goals is to share best practice across the board, so that trusts who hope to implement this change do not need to ‘reinvent the wheel’ each time.

In the fast-paced environment of surgical procedures, infection control is of paramount importance. One often overlooked aspect of infection control in healthcare settings is the use and reusability of theatre hats. These hats, worn by surgical staff, play a crucial role in maintaining a sterile environment in the operating room.

However, concerns have been raised about the potential for contamination and infection transmission associated with the reuse of theatre hats.

Theatre hats, also known as surgical caps or scrub hats, are worn by surgical teams to prevent the shedding of hair and scalp bacteria into the sterile field during surgical procedures. They form a part of the personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by healthcare professionals in the operating theatre, alongside surgical masks, gowns, and gloves.

By containing hair and reducing the risk of bacterial contamination, theatre hats are essential in maintaining a hygienic surgical environment and reducing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) in patients. For many years, general hospital policies have been to wear disposable theatre caps and then throw them away at the end of each shift.

This however is contributing to millions of hats going to landfill each year, so hospitals are making sustainable changes by moving away from throw away consumables to items which can be simply washed and reused.