Back to basics approach for cleaner hospitals announced

Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey has said that he will ensure Ward Sisters and domestic cleaning staff are given every support to help them drive up hospital cleanliness and hygiene standards.

This follows a recent announcement by the Minister that he was establishing a new team to drive up cleanliness standards in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. The team is now working with health trusts and trade unions to progress this urgently.

As part of the Minister’s continued focus on cleaner, safer hospitals, he has announced a £60,000, ‘back to basics’ pilot scheme to ensure more effective cleaning of wards. Four hospital wards will be selected for the pilot and will involve cleaners ensuring equipment and surfaces that are regularly touched such as door handles, are cleaned even more frequently.

The Minister said: "I have demonstrated my commitment to ensuring our hospitals are cleaner and safer. Last year I announced a major £9million investment aimed at fighting ‘superbugs’ such as MRSA and improving cleanliness. This included initiatives such as: unannounced hygiene inspections; restrictions on hospital visiting; a dress code for health care staff; a regional hand hygiene campaign; and a pharmacist for each trust to promote safer prescribing of antibiotics.

“These measures are working. Healthcare associated infections such as MRSA and C difficile have fallen by some 30% over the last 18 months, which is very welcome news. Recent hygiene reports have also shown improvements in standards in some hospitals but not all. While this is encouraging, I am disappointed that there were some examples of poor performance and I am determined to ensure that all hospitals reach high standards of cleanliness."

In June, the Minister also announced a new £2million funding package to empower and provide practical support to Ward Sisters aimed at helping to get rid of bureaucracy and enabling nurses to get back to the bedside. This was a further boost to the Ward Sister’s charter which is aimed at promoting them as champions of a cleaner, safer environment for patients.

He continued: "However, as everyone is well aware, the uncertainty over my budget in relation to funding the £64million budget for swine flu has meant that I had been unable to move forward on this issue and many other vital service developments.

"Now that I have been given clarity around my budget I can forge ahead and ensure Ward Sisters and domestic cleaning staff are given every possible support to help them improve cleanliness and hygiene levels. The new team which I have set up is now working closely with trade unions and health trusts to ensure the best use of resources to deliver on this goal. I want to assure the public that, despite my limited budget and significant pressures facing the health and social care service, I will be providing funding for this vital issue.

"As a first step, I will be investing around £60,000 to set up a new pilot scheme to enhance cleaning across four wards which will be confirmed in the coming weeks. The scheme is based on research from Scotland which demonstrated that one additional ward cleaner was associated with a 27% reduction in MRSA infection.

"This is just the next step in my continued drive to making our hospitals cleaner. I want to again thank all Health and Social Care staff for their tireless work in providing high quality services to patients against a background of every increasing demand."

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