Cleaners call for more staff
Hospital cleaners believe that more staff are needed to enable them to improve hygiene standards in their wards, according to a poll by Unison.
The results of the union’s survey come as hospitals around the country mark NHS Think Clean day, to raise the profile of cleanliness in hospitals.
Unison’s poll of 200 workers put more staff at the top of the list and showed that a majority of cleaners said they should be involved in setting standards. Receiving better training and better equipment was also set as a priority.
Dave Prentis, the union’s general secretary said: “If the Government wants hospitals to ‘Think Clean’ they should listen and learn from the experts and ‘Think Cleaners’.
“Not only have the number of hospital cleaners been halved in the last 20 years, there are enormous vacancy rates and a very high turnover of staff.”
Cleaners are recognising NHS Think Clean day by marking campaign posters with the union’s “Think Cleaners” slogan stickers. Some are writing to their chief executives while others are holding media events on hygiene issues.
“We need more time to do the job properly, in the way we’ve been trained,” said Susan Hickling, a cleaner at Scunthorpe Hospital.
“To get cleaner hospitals you need more staff, with more time as well as decent pay, so they don’t leave and get better paying jobs somewhere else.”
