How to Prepare an Audit Pack for Cleaning and Laundry in 60 Minutes

Preparing an audit pack for aged care cleaning and laundry can be tough, especially when you’re pressed for time. Facility Managers, Residential Services Managers, Quality Managers, and Hospitality Managers all crave a practical method to put together a thorough, organized evidence pack that hits all the right notes for auditors—and does it fast.

This guide walks you through crafting your cleaning and laundry audit evidence pack in just 60 minutes. We’ll cover what auditors usually ask for, key documents, exporting evidence from toolkits like Cleaning Excellence and Asepsis Loop, putting together a narrative summary with a corrective action plan, and sharing your pack securely.

What Auditors Usually Ask For

Auditors are all about confirming that aged care cleaning and laundry services meet the set standards and resident safety is top-notch. Knowing their typical requests can really streamline your prep work.

Expect them to want:

• Policies and Procedures: Updated documents overseeing cleaning and laundry operations.
• Cleaning and Laundry Logs: Detailed records of daily cleaning activities, times, and people responsible.
• Incident and Non-Conformance Records: Details of issues like spills or contamination, along with responses.
• Training and Competency Records: Proof that the staff is skilled in performing cleaning and laundry tasks.
• Corrective Action Plans: Evidence showing how non-compliances were managed and fixed.
• Narrative Summary: A run-through that gives context to the evidence, calls out strengths, and tackles weaknesses.

Auditors aren’t just after data; they want to see continuous compliance and improvement.

Real-world insight: One aged care facility managed to reduce their audit prep time by 70% by keeping these documents updated in digital form. It let them focus on compliance instead of scrambling for evidence at the last minute.

Documents to Include

A strong aged care audit evidence pack starts with the right documents. Use this checklist to guide you:

Policies and Procedures

Make sure these are current, approved, and easy to access.

• Cleaning and Laundry policies aligned with Australian aged care standards.
• Infection control procedures.
• Waste management and disposal policies.
• Chemical use and safety guidelines.

Logs and Records

These are your proof that procedures are followed consistently.

• Daily cleaning schedules/logs, with dates, times, and the cleaner’s name.
• Laundry cycle records showing proper washing temperature, detergents, and handling.
• Equipment maintenance records.
• Incident and spill reports related to cleaning and laundry.
• Audits or internal inspections monitoring cleaning effectiveness.

Incident Records and Corrective Actions

Auditors focus here to ensure risks are spotted and managed.

• Incident reports with dates, descriptions, and actions taken.
• Non-compliance reports detailing what went wrong and why.
• Corrective action plans documenting steps to resolve issues.
• Follow-up reports confirming corrective actions are completed.

Staff Competency Records

This verifies that cleaning and laundry staff are trained.

• Training attendance sheets.
• Certificates or competency assessments for cleaning and laundry tasks.
• Staff induction records concentrating on safety and infection control.

Example: During a recent audit, a facility’s well-organized incident and corrective action records impressed auditors, cutting follow-up questions by 40%. It showed their dedication to continuous improvement.

Exporting Evidence from Cleaning Excellence & Asepsis Loop

Technology makes preparing an audit pack easier. Two widely-used tools in aged care are Cleaning Excellence and Asepsis Loop, which help capture, monitor, and export cleaning and laundry data efficiently.

Cleaning Excellence

This tool helps automate cleaning schedules, staff assignments, and audit checklists.

• Export daily and weekly cleaning logs in PDF or CSV format.
• Generate compliance reports showing task completion rates.
• Track chemical usage referenced in policies.
• Attach photographic proof for visual evidence of cleaning quality.

Asepsis Loop

Asepsis Loop offers real-time monitoring and digital reporting for infection control and cleaning.

• Export detailed cleaning records linked to specific zones or equipment.
• Generate incident reports and corrective action documentation.
• Create audit-ready evidence packs using ready-made templates.
• Ensure data security by adhering to relevant privacy standards.

Use case: A Quality Manager used Asepsis Loop to export cleaning logs and corrective actions before an audit. This cut preparation time significantly and ensured no data was missing.

With these tools, your audit pack for aged care cleaning and laundry will include precise, verifiable evidence without much manual work, saving hours each audit cycle.

Narrative Summary and Corrective Action Plan

Raw data can be tough to interpret. Every well-crafted audit pack must include a narrative summary and corrective action plan explaining your facility’s cleaning and laundry compliance status.

Writing the Narrative Summary

Keep it simple and direct.

• Outline the scope of your cleaning and laundry services.
• Explain key policies and how they fit with aged care quality standards.
• Highlight compliance outcomes and findings from internal audits.
• Mention areas needing improvement with some context.

Corrective Action Plan

This showcases proactive management.

• Note issues found during audits, internal or external.
• Discuss what caused the issues.
• List actions taken or planned to address them.
• Assign responsibility and timelines for completion.
• Include updates or closure statements about progress.

Real-world example: A facility observed inconsistencies in laundry chemical dosing. Their corrective action plan included re-training staff, weekly QA checks, and adding automated dosing. Documenting this helped satisfy auditors during follow-up visits.

A thoughtful summary and plan assure auditors that your facility identifies issues and acts swiftly and effectively.

Sharing Securely with Auditors

Your final step is securely sharing your audit pack. Security and privacy are crucial due to resident data sensitivity and compliance with privacy laws.

Best Practices for Secure Sharing

• Use password-protected ZIP files or PDFs.
• Share through encrypted cloud storage solutions (like Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive) with restricted access.
• Limit download or printing permissions if possible.
• Confirm receipt and promptly address questions.
• Keep a secure copy for internal records.

Compliance and Transparency

Ensure trustworthiness by:

• Complying with the Australian Privacy Act and aged care standards.
• Keeping audit evidence organized and time-stamped.
• Sharing full, truthful records without omissions.
• Maintaining an audit trail of shared files.

Tip: Consider scheduling a live review meeting via secure video calls where auditors can ask questions and you can walk them through the audit pack in real-time.

Conclusion

Preparing an audit pack for aged care cleaning and laundry doesn’t have to be stressful or time-intensive. Knowing what auditors seek and organizing your documents accordingly can save you hours.

• Begin with up-to-date policies, logs, and incident records.
• Use Cleaning Excellence and Asepsis Loop to export evidence quickly and reliably.
• Add a concise narrative summary and corrective action plan that contextualizes your data.
• Share your audit pack securely, ensuring compliance and data privacy.

These steps make your audit process more efficient while showing your facility’s commitment to high standards and resident safety.

If you’d like to streamline your aged care cleaning and laundry audit preparation further, check out Asepsis, which offers audit-ready systems and real-time data management.

Ready to prepare your audit pack in just 60 minutes? Start by checking your current policies and signing up for digital cleaning management tools that simplify evidence gathering. Your next audit will be smoother, faster, and filled with confidence.

For personalized advice or training on audit pack preparation, contact me at Hiren Soni. Let’s make your compliance simple and secure.