Gold standard – how to level up your practice hygiene protocols

With increasing concerns about antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic disease transmission and environmental sustainability, now is the time to take a fresh look at biosecurity from the ground up.

This article explores how practice owners and managers can audit, update and optimise hygiene protocols to close existing gaps, adopt more sustainable practices, and ultimately protect the well-being of patients, clients, and staff.

Critical role of hygiene protocols

Effective hygiene protocols aren’t just boxes to tick, they are critical components of a safe, reputable and well-functioning clinic.

From reception to recovery, every corner of a veterinary practice can harbour pathogens. Without strict cleaning and disinfection regimes, even routine procedures can turn risky.

Yet, having a protocol in place is only the beginning. Consistency and clarity are key. Staff must not only be trained thoroughly, but should also understand the “why” behind the protocols, if they are to commit to being consistent.

When people are aware of the consequences of poor hygiene – such as nosocomial infections, cross-contamination, and client complaints – they are far more likely to adhere to best practices.

Gaps that undermine hygiene protocols

Veterinary practices face unique challenges that require tailored solutions. However, several commonly made mistakes regularly appear across practices of all sizes:

Using household disinfectants instead of veterinary-grade products. While they may smell lovely, common household disinfectants lack the required efficacy against key veterinary pathogens like canine parvovirus, feline coronavirus or multi-drug-resistant bacteria. Worse, they may contain ingredients that are harmful to animals, such as phenols.

Inadequate contact times. A product’s effectiveness is only as good as its contact time. Rushing the disinfection process or wiping surfaces dry too quickly undermines its efficacy and leaves staff with a false sense of security. Make sure your team understands the contact time of the disinfectants used in your practice, as products can vary greatly.

Failure to clean before disinfecting. Most disinfectants are rendered ineffective by organic contamination such as faeces, urine or blood. Pre-cleaning to remove organic matter is essential, but is often overlooked. Clean first, then disinfect.

Neglecting non-clinical areas. Staff rooms, reception desks and storage areas can serve as reservoirs for pathogens, yet they are often cleaned less frequently than treatment zones. Don’t forget touch points such as light switches, door handles, telephones and computer equipment.

Poor hand hygiene. Encourage more frequent hand washing and provide hand sanitiser that is suitable for everyone in your practice, ensuring dispensers are refilled regularly and use visual aids to enhance technique. Make effective hand hygiene as easy as possible to improve compliance.

Veterinary disinfectants

Veterinary-specific disinfectants are developed and tested for the real-world conditions of animal care environments. These products:

• Are broad-spectrum, targeting bacteria, viruses and fungi relevant to veterinary settings, including zoonoses.
• Must be validated by testing to veterinary test standards, and use active ingredients approved for use around animals
• Often offer compatibility with a variety of surfaces, reducing the risk of material degradation over time.
• May additionally be Defra-approved for use in case of suspected or confirmed notifiable disease outbreaks.

Household disinfectants, by contrast, are designed to meet the needs of general household environments and often fail to meet the efficacy or safety standards required in clinical settings where risks are far greater.

A false sense of security can arise from using products that leave your examination rooms smelling fresh, but don’t disinfect adequately – or worse, introduce harmful compounds into the environment.

Designing for hygiene

Practice design has a significant influence on hygiene efficacy. Thoughtful layout and materials can streamline cleaning and reduce the opportunity for pathogens to spread. By contrast, damaged materials and porous surfaces create reservoirs for pathogens to hide and promote the formation of biofilms.

Zoning is key. Create clear boundaries between clean and contaminated areas. A unidirectional flow from clean to dirty (not vice versa) minimises cross-contamination risk.

Choose the right materials. Surfaces should be non-porous, easy to clean and resistant to corrosion. Seamless flooring, coved skirting and stainless steel or medical-grade PVC furniture support effective biosecurity.

Avoid clutter. Every additional object is another cleaning obligation. Storage solutions that keep items off the floor and away from splash zones reduce microbial harbourage points.

Ventilation matters. Good airflow prevents the build-up of airborne pathogens and minimises the spread of odours and allergens.

Reducing odours to reduce stress

Disinfectant odour is more than a cosmetic concern – it can have a tangible impact on patient stress levels. Cats have an acute sense of smell and may associate strong chemical odours or fragrances with negative experiences.

Stress in veterinary settings can compromise diagnostics, make animals harder to handle and slow recovery. To mitigate this, opt for low-odour or fragrance-free disinfectants where possible, especially in feline-only areas or near waiting and recovery zones.

Remember that the fragrances in disinfectants are there to please human users, not animals. They give an olfactory cue to humans that the room is clean.

While you might prefer a particular fragranced product, it could be contributing to increased stress in your patients.

Making biosecurity more sustainable

As veterinary professionals, we are increasingly conscious of our environmental footprint, and so are pet owners. In a “one health” approach, human and animal health depend on the health of our environment. Infection control and sustainability don’t have to be at odds. Consider these strategies:

• Choose concentrated products that reduce packaging waste and lower transport emissions.
• Select disinfectants with biodegradable surfactants that are safer for downstream disposal. Use disinfectants that don’t need to be rinsed off after use, to reduce water usage.
• Educate staff on correct dilution, usage and disposal, reducing product wastage and minimising any risks to the environment.
• Reduce single-use plastics by selecting products with recycled plastic packaging, using bottles that can be refilled or moving to plastic-free wet wipes.

Look for manufacturers that demonstrate a commitment to environmental stewardship and make changes when you can.

Don’t forget to share your sustainability initiatives with your customers. We all have to start somewhere, so don’t wait for a big milestone to share your news.

Human element of hygiene

Even the best protocols and products are useless if staff aren’t engaged, informed, and confident in their responsibilities. Training should be:

Ongoing, not one-off. Build biosecurity training into onboarding and reinforce it with periodic refreshers and updates. Biosecurity is not the task of one person; it requires everyone to be vigilant and compliant.

Role-specific. Cleaning expectations for a vet nurse differ from those of a receptionist or kennel assistant. Make it explicitly clear who is responsible for each task, to avoid confusion.

Visual and practical. Accommodate different types of learners; use checklists, decision-trees, signage and “show-me” sessions to complement written SOPs. Discuss the results of environmental swabbing in team meetings and involve everyone in working to improve the standard of disinfection.

Auditable. Track compliance and use checklists or digital tools to document daily tasks. Assign an independent team member to check that cleaning and disinfection have taken place correctly.

Encourage a culture of shared accountability. Team members should feel empowered to speak up if something looks amiss, without fearing the reaction. Provide channels of respectful communication for the whole team and set a good example.

After an outbreak of an infectious disease, or after environmental swabbing, encourage your team to meet and review what could be improved in your processes, review your protocols honestly and make changes where appropriate.

Reviewing and improving protocols

Regular review ensures protocols evolve with changing threats, technologies and team composition. Use the following checklist to guide your audit:

• Are you using veterinary disinfectants throughout your practice and in any vehicles used by your practice?
• Is your cleaning and disinfection protocol written, accessible, understood by your team and regularly updated?
• In an outbreak scenario, does the whole team know how to respond?
• Do all team members know and understand their hygiene responsibilities? Everyone should be trained how to use disinfectants safely and effectively.
• Are chemical products correctly diluted, used, stored and disposed of?
• Do you track training and compliance? Byotrol offers CPD-accredited biosecurity and infection control training, which may help – visit byotrol.com/resources/training for more information.
• Are your protocols sustainable and environmentally responsible?
• Do odours or product residues appear to affect patient comfort or staff satisfaction?

If any of these raise doubts, it may be time to revise your protocols or consult an infection control expert.

Healthy patients, better business

A well-designed, sustainable hygiene protocol isn’t just a compliance issue – it’s a competitive advantage. Clients trust clean clinics. Staff are safer and more confident in their work. And most importantly, patients benefit from reduced stress and a lower risk of infection.

Veterinary practices today are expected to balance clinical excellence with environmental responsibility and operational efficiency. By closing the gaps in hygiene protocols and investing in your infection control strategy, forward-thinking practices can truly offer their patients a clean bill of health.

Resources are available from the BSAVA, American Veterinary Medical Association, Defra and others to help practices with their protocols.