We are often asked if it is really worth auditing mattresses...
“Our mattresses are regularly cleaned”
“We have no dirty mattresses in here”
“I am sure we keep an eye on them ourselves”
Mattress auditing is so important - both to homes and hospitals. Medical mattresses need to be kept clean and safe to avoid serious health risks.
Mattresses that look good on the surface may be hiding hidden dangers if integrity is breached. Even minor abrasions or damage to the mattress surface may allow urine or faecal matter to penetrate the cover or foam beneath; this is hazardous and unpleasant. Some of the consequences can be hidden staining, foul odours and infection control risks with the presence of bacteria, fungi or spores that could be within the mattress.
Our Caremed technicians are trained in mattress auditing to the MHRA standard and this is a service we provide to many of our customers.
As well as an examination of the mattress from a hygiene standpoint, our audit also includes a simple test to ascertain the foam resilience - this is to protect your residents from pressure damage and discomfort from ageing foam cores that may have lost their resilience over time.
We have been mattress auditing for a number of homes for over 9 years, providing peace of mind; both for the patients, but also if a home should get a surprise CQC visit.
If you wish to mattress audit yourself, always, always look beneath the cover – there is plenty of guidance on what is and what isn’t acceptable, this is MHRA’s own guidance on the matter.
A GALLERY OF TYPICAL HIDDEN MATTRESS ISSUES WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED OVER THE LAST 5-6 YEARS....
