HIQA inspections can be announced or unannounced. When the call comes that an inspection is scheduled — or when inspectors simply arrive at your door — your facility’s readiness will be tested across multiple criteria. Curtain hygiene sits within the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) theme of the inspection framework, and it is one of the areas where facilities are most frequently found to be non-compliant.
This guide is for directors of nursing, persons in charge, and facility managers who want to ensure their curtain hygiene programme is fully inspection-ready.
Understanding HIQA’s Inspection Framework for IPC
HIQA uses its National Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland as the basis for inspection. The IPC standards assess whether:
- The facility has a written IPC policy that includes soft furnishings
- A cleaning schedule exists and is being followed
- Staff are trained in IPC procedures
- Records of cleaning activity are maintained and accessible
- The environment is visibly clean and free from malodour
The Curtain Hygiene Checklist
Use this checklist to assess your current position:
- All curtains throughout the facility professionally cleaned within the last 6 months
- Compliance certificates for all cleaning events filed and accessible
- Certificates include: date, areas treated, method, products used, and technician sign-off
- A forward schedule exists for the next 12 months of curtain cleaning
- Curtains visually inspected monthly by housekeeping — log maintained
- IPC policy document updated to reference current cleaning regime
- Any post-outbreak cleaning events documented separately
Download our free HIQA Curtain Hygiene Checklist for a printable version you can use during your own internal audit.
What to Do If You Have an Upcoming Inspection
If you have been notified of an upcoming HIQA inspection and your curtains have not been cleaned within 6 months, you have a short window to address this. Curtain Care Ireland provides rapid-response scheduling for facilities facing inspection deadlines — we typically schedule within 5 working days and can prioritise urgent cases.
We issue compliance certificates on the same day as treatment, so you will have documentation in hand before your inspection date.
Building a Year-Round Programme
Rather than responding to inspections reactively, the most effective approach is a bi-annual programme with scheduled cleaning in spring (March-April) and autumn (September-October). This ensures:
- Curtains are always within the 6-month compliance window
- Documentation is current and organised
- No emergency scheduling is required at inspection time
- Residents benefit from consistently clean, fresh curtains year-round
Curtain Care Ireland will set up a maintenance schedule and send you a reminder when each treatment is due, removing this administrative burden from your team entirely.
How Curtain Care Ireland Supports Your IPC Programme
We have been working with nursing homes and care facilities across Ireland for over 50 years. Our in-situ cleaning process means minimal disruption to residents and staff, and our compliance documentation is specifically designed to meet HIQA requirements.
If you have an upcoming inspection or want to establish a year-round programme, call us now on 01 254 8000 — we will have a proposal to you within one working day.