Healthcare cleaning best practice explored

Representatives of NHS trusts and healthcare establishments gathered at hosts Kärcher UK’s offices in Banbury for a day led by Delia Cannings of Environmental Excellence Training and Development Ltd to discuss and share experiences since implementation of the National Standards in Health Care Cleanliness 2021.

The event followed two successful development days held at Kärcher last year and included workshops with a focus on best practice and how to achieve success, looking at subjects such as the requirements of digital cleaning audits. What should be included in the audits and what should not be marked as a ‘fail’ was outlined by Delia Cannings, who drew smiles when she said: “No one ever died from a cobweb.”

Speakers included Anna Bright, chief executive of Sustainability West Midlands, who was able to provide examples of good practice. Dr Amy Gyte, a scientist at the Health and Safety Executive spoke on occupational health and the specific ways this applied to healthcare cleaning professionals. Delia Cannings encouraged those present to be part of the movement to be led by the British Cleaning Council to press government to recognise in full the importance of frontline role cleaning staff and support the recommendations of the APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Cleaning and Hygiene Industry) led by Nigel Mills MP.

A report by the APPG, titled Embedding Effective Hygiene for a Resilient UK would put cleaning and hygiene at the heart of the national agenda, helping to change UK culture, make the industry more socially accepted and, of course the nation better prepared for future public health emergencies. A campaign has been launched under the BCC’s ‘We Clean, We Care’ slogan, and needs the support of those in the sector to press their MPs to pay better attention to this vital topic.