HOSPITAL CLEANING


ISS says: “This new project is not only ground-breaking, but could lead to a step-change in healthcare cleaning standards for everyone.”


and Derby NHS Foundation Trust, sharing values and partnership have a vital part to play in raising standards and testing methodology. Heather Cracknell, ISS Healthcare Cleaning SME, and a member of the project team, says: “There has never been a better time to demonstrate not just being visibly clean, but clinically clean. Hospital cleanliness is high on everyone’s agenda”. From my own standpoint, this new project is a potential game-changer in terms of how and when healthcare cleaning intervention is best applied, and we would be delighted for other collaborators to come on board. The first of those collaborators will be the local infection control experts, who will be familiar with the scientific approach, but will also act as ambassadors for the research should the study identify methods of breaking the chain of infection through environmental hygiene practices. The initial observation phase will primarily include data collection of key criteria which will evidence the extent of infection transmission dependent on people’s behaviours. The length of the observation phase will be reviewed regularly to determine that enough information is being collated to make the study meaningful.


Outcomes


This important study will seek to highlight the impact of behaviours in reducing the risk of spreading infection in healthcare. The results will provide evidence to create disinfecting regimes that are optimal for patient care, sustainable, and compliant for Trusts. This will include examining the efficacy of current practices used throughout the NHS. Do they support


78 Health Estate Journal October 2021


good practice while maintaining the highest level of safety? Are there better ways to provide effective infection control? Could we use alternatives that are better for the planet? Environmental impact is becomingly increasingly important to everyone. This new project is not only ground-breaking, but could lead to a step-change in healthcare cleaning standards for everyone.


For the patient


The patients, their families, and visitors, will have peace of mind that the clinical environment is clean and safe. It is expected that the study will lead to an improved patient experience, assisting


their recovery and safe return home, and that the partner hospital will become the hospital of choice in their area; this can then be replicated across the country by other hospitals adopting the same standards.


For the customer


The project sets out to prove that a clean hospital can aid patient recovery and significantly reduce the risk of environmental infection. This, in turn, contributes to reducing the length of stay for the patient, and will release beds for more patients to be treated sooner, rather than later. If a hospital can provide this level of assurance, it will enhance its reputation, patient experience, and patient safety, contributing to higher ratings and local community satisfaction.


For ISS


As a global provider of healthcare facilities and a market-leader already, it might be considered that ISS wouldn’t want to change things very much, but we believe in adding value and striving for continuous improvement. By using the test data collected to gain a greater understanding of the risks and behaviours linked to transmission of pathogens, the company will create a dynamic approach to environmental hygiene for its clients and prospective clients.


For the industry


The successful delivery of this project centres on a collaborative approach between the ISS research and development team and the NHS.


Relevant studies of this type are few and far between, particularly with combined and supporting scientific evidence. It is anticipated that this study will be welcomed across the healthcare industry globally. Overall, it is expected that the project will take time to collect


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112