Increasingly, numerous biocide products are displaying residual claims (e.g. long lasting protection, 24-hour protection and residual action). Researchers and companies have designed test methods in an attempt to demonstrate residual antimicrobial efficacy and support these claims. However, these methods largely involve applying a product to a surface and leaving it for a defined period of time before challenging with a bacterial load. 

The limitation of such tests is that the surface remains undisturbed following application.This PAS specifies a test method for residual bactericidal and/or yeasticidal activity of liquid, chemical disinfectant products that are applied to hard, non-porous surfaces which are likely to undergo abrasive action, so remaining as close as possible to the practical conditions in which the product is designed to be used by taking into consideration both abrasion and spillage. The method described is intended to determine the activity of commercial formulations or active substances under the conditions in which they are used in accordance with BS EN 13697:2001.

The PAS is designed for laboratories that perform antimicrobial testing in order to test the residual antimicrobial properties of liquid, chemical disinfectant products for use in sectors such as (but not limited to) the food industry; institutional areas such as schools, hospitals and nursing homes; in the workplace; and in the home/domestic environment. A Publicly Available Specification (PAS) is a sponsored fast track standard driven by the needs of the client organisations and developed according to guidelines set out by BSI. 

Sponsored by the Department of Health, the specification was first published in 2011 as a means of helping acute, community and mental health hospitals in England demonstrate that plans were in place to keep their premises clean and safe for patients. Keeping the hospital environment clean is key to delivering effective infection prevention and control arrangements as well as improving patient wellbeing. 

This specification provides a framework for a risk-based cleaning system and takes a continuous improvement approach to hygiene. It provides for the planning, application, measurement and review of cleanliness services in hospitals. The aim is to help key staff such as chief executives, directors of infection prevention and control and directors of nursing and lead nurses ensure that patient safety is a priority within the NHS in England.

Some of the things that PAS 5748 covers:

• Governance of cleanliness service
• Assessment of the risk of a lack of cleanliness (for infection and damage to patient, public or staff confidence)
• Providing cleaning tasks
• Measuring cleanliness on the basis of visual inspection
• Implementing corrective action
• Conducting performance analysis and implementing improvement actions

Anne Hayes from BSI said: "This specification can support care providers in giving patients confidence that the hospital environment is clean. The current revision remains relevant to today’s healthcare environment and PAS 5748 is commended to anybody who is directly or indirectly responsible for providing a clean, safe environment for patient care.”

Organisations involved in the collaborative revision of PAS 5748 include: Association of Healthcare Cleaning Professionals, British Infection Association, Department of Health, Healthcare Infection Society, Infection Prevention Society, NHS England, The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust and Royal College of Nursing.

PAS 5748 builds on the national specifications for cleanliness in the NHS (NSC), the most recent version of which was published by the National Patient Safety Agency in April 2007. It does not replace this but will exist alongside it to provide an alternative means of demonstrating an intent to comply with part of the registration requirements of the Care Quality Commission (CQC). PAS 5748 is expected to be used in conjunction with The Revised Healthcare Cleaning Manual), which gives general and specific guidance on how to operate the provision of cleaning services within a healthcare environment.

PAS 5748 includes:

• An update to the risk assessment clause (Clause 4) to include supportive material based on work carried out since the 2011 publication
• This work is represented as a completed risk assessment of all 50 scored elements (Annex C) as well as a range of typical functional areas likely to be found at all hospitals (Annex D)
• An example of overall risk category outcomes using the completed risk assessment of elements and functional areas is provided at Annex E

PAS 5748 is free to download for NHS staff in England at: http://shop.bsigroup.com/pas-5748.