Jim Thompson works at Golden Care Ltd and as the Governance and Compliance Manager, he is responsible for the running of managerial and clinical processes at three care homes across Wales and England – all of which have been established for over 20 years.
With three homes and 140 beds in total to consider, Jim needed to find a brand he could be confident in, with reliable and effective equipment which could cope with large capacity use – products and services which would be adaptable and easy for staff to use. Over five years ago JLA products were introduced into one the homes – Jim explains:
"We already had a JLA washer within one of the homes, we were happy with the product and how it met the needs of that home. We were also happy with the support received if and when any problems occurred."
It was this experience that prompted Jim to roll out the JLA range across all three homes – this included washers, dryers, irons, dishwashers and sanitisers. Most recently came the installation of the ground-breaking OTEX system in two of the homes. Jim confirms that staff are very complimentary about the products, having noted for themselves the increased speed and effectiveness with which laundry can be completed…
Jim has the added responsibility of ensuring management teams are able to provide and implement up-to-date training for staff at each home, including infection control issues. Jim’s commitment to use the JLA Sanitiser product has sound benefits:
"The sanitiser provides a fantastic turnaround in the decontamination of individual rooms and day spaces. We can now clean a room in a matter of hours and utilise it for a new resident within 24 hours, whilst before a room would be out of use for at least 3 days and often over a week to allow deep cleaning/ shampooing processes to be put in place and we would also need to bring in extra housekeeping staff to carry out the deep cleans. The latter has been eliminated due to the introduction of the sanitiser."
Jim’s experience and involvement in care extend much further than Golden Care – with 40 years service as a nurse in health and social care across primary, community and secondary settings and having held senior positions in clinical, educational and managerial environments. He is also registered with the CSSIW in Wales and the CQC in England, and additionally holds the role of Trustee of an independent hospice within South East Wales, which is the largest care provision hospice in Wales.
It is without doubt that Jim knows what he is looking for when it comes to choosing a commercial laundry partner, and having already seen a reduction in utility costs, an improved working environment and a faster laundry turnaround for residents, Jim is able to express his thoughts about the benefits very clearly:
"Products are reliable, from installation to ongoing service and maintenance and staff are supportive, accessible, responsive and understanding of the important needs of the home and the residents we care for. A first class service which we are very happy with!"