Any spill of hazardous fluids – blood, urine, vomit, etc. - must be treated as potentially infectious or dangerous. The speed with which they are dealt will help determine the risk they pose to staff and patients. The quicker and more efficiently they are dealt with, the lower the risk.
Your spill kit should be kept in a clearly designated place that is easily accessible. For reasons of speed, larger practices may need several strategically placed spill kits enabling timely treatment of spills.
If a spill should occur, take these 7 steps:
1. React immediately 2. Prevent access to the area
3. Open windows to ventilate if necessary 4. Wear protective clothing
5. Soak up excess fluid 6. Conduct a final clean of the area
7. Replace a single use spill kit / check the level of a multi-use kit
While giving a tick for the presence of spill kits, best practice (and CQC) requires that their use is not only detailed within your policy and procedure documentation, but also understood by and tasked to every member of your staff. You can find out more on spill kits from our blog on them.