A hospital administrator's job is seemingly never done. You've got to make sure everything runs well, patients are cared for, and costs are kept under control despite rising prices for almost everything. Inventory control is imperative to keeping the hospital's overhead low, but hiring more people to keep track of the linens - not to mention washing and sterilizing them, folding them, and storing them - might just break your budget.
One easy solution is to hire a professional linen service. A professional linen service can handle maintaining and caring for your facility's linen needs, as well as keeping tight control over your inventory. Before you decide you can't afford to hire a professional linen service to keep your hospital linens clean and sterile, consider the time savings and the other benefits that come with having a professional do the job.
Better Patient Care
Your staff has more important things to worry about than sterilizing sheets or making sure that hospital towels are folded properly, but these functions are still vital to patient care. Patients expect and deserve linens that are comfortable, clean and wrinkle-free. A professional linen service knows how to get out stains from body fluids and cafeteria foods without resorting to harsh treatments that may irritate some patients' sensitive skin.
Rather than worry that your nurses will waste their valuable - and expensive - time calling about clean sheets, you can rest assured that a professional linen service will keep the supply closet stocked with linens that are ready to use.
Lower Costs
The first objection most hospital administrators have to professional linen services is the cost, but the price is a bargain when the other option is doing it in-house. A professional-grade laundry capable of removing stains and sterilizing linens requires expensive equipment, a variety of stain-fighting agents, and employees, not to mention space to operate.
At most hospitals, both space and employees are at a premium. The capital investment to keep a professional laundry running is high and the maintenance costs can be expensive as well. In addition, to operate an in-house linen system, the hospital needs people to wash, fold and distribute the linens, as well as space to store it. With a professional linen service, the hospital can simply designate areas for soiled linen carts and the service will retrieve the dirty laundry and restock linen storage areas with fresh sheets. Simply put, the reduced hassle and reduced overall cost of using a professional linen service will take one worry off your mind.