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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| End private cleaning in NHS call | End private cleaning in NHS call |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Nurses have called for hospital cleaning to be brought back in-house to tackle hospital infections. | Nurses have called for hospital cleaning to be brought back in-house to tackle hospital infections. |
| The Royal College of Nursing conference overwhelmingly voted for a motion proposing an end to contracting out cleaning to private firms. | The Royal College of Nursing conference overwhelmingly voted for a motion proposing an end to contracting out cleaning to private firms. |
| Cleaning contracts have been outsourced since the 1980s and about 40% of hospitals now use the private sector. | Cleaning contracts have been outsourced since the 1980s and about 40% of hospitals now use the private sector. |
| Nurses at the Bournemouth conference said it had led to a drop in standards and a rise in infections. | Nurses at the Bournemouth conference said it had led to a drop in standards and a rise in infections. |
| Ensuring that hospitals are clean and safe is not as simple as bringing all cleaning in-house Department of Health | Ensuring that hospitals are clean and safe is not as simple as bringing all cleaning in-house Department of Health |
| The government has made cleaning one of its highest priorities to tackle infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile. | The government has made cleaning one of its highest priorities to tackle infections such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile. |
| It recently oversaw a deep cleaning programme of all hospitals in England and its infection strategy published in January said good quality cleaning was essential. | It recently oversaw a deep cleaning programme of all hospitals in England and its infection strategy published in January said good quality cleaning was essential. |
| MRSA rates have been falling since early 2006 with the NHS on course to halve the number of infections this year based on a 2004 baseline. | MRSA rates have been falling since early 2006 with the NHS on course to halve the number of infections this year based on a 2004 baseline. |
| But nurses still maintained infections was a pressing issue that was not being helped by the contracting out of cleaning, something which has been particularly popular in England. | But nurses still maintained infections was a pressing issue that was not being helped by the contracting out of cleaning, something which has been particularly popular in England. |
| No public sector ethos | No public sector ethos |
| May McCreaddie, a nurse from Glasgow, said: "There has been an increase in hospital infections and decline in cleanliness. It is quite simple." | May McCreaddie, a nurse from Glasgow, said: "There has been an increase in hospital infections and decline in cleanliness. It is quite simple." |
| She said private cleaning firms did not have the public sector ethos of in-house teams and there was higher staff turnover which contributed to poorer performance. | She said private cleaning firms did not have the public sector ethos of in-house teams and there was higher staff turnover which contributed to poorer performance. |
| "We know what works we have been there before, we have had them. They are called ward domestics, they are an integral part of the team." | "We know what works we have been there before, we have had them. They are called ward domestics, they are an integral part of the team." |
| Sheila Dunbar, a nurse from Liverpool, added: "The increase in hospital infections is a big issue. NHS trusts in north west England have started to come back in-house to have cleaner wards." | Sheila Dunbar, a nurse from Liverpool, added: "The increase in hospital infections is a big issue. NHS trusts in north west England have started to come back in-house to have cleaner wards." |
| But Derek Blackshaw, from Salisbury, said as well as bringing cleaning back in-house, it was important nurses on the wards were given responsibility for overseeing cleaning. | But Derek Blackshaw, from Salisbury, said as well as bringing cleaning back in-house, it was important nurses on the wards were given responsibility for overseeing cleaning. |
| "It is not enough to bring it back in-house if you still need to deal with a chain of authority." | "It is not enough to bring it back in-house if you still need to deal with a chain of authority." |
| The delegates also heard from a number of nurses who described how in-house cleaners were much more part of the NHS family. | The delegates also heard from a number of nurses who described how in-house cleaners were much more part of the NHS family. |
| Dominic Walsh, a nurse from London who works on an intensive care ward, said he was proud to work on a ward where the cleaners employed by the hospital. | Dominic Walsh, a nurse from London who works on an intensive care ward, said he was proud to work on a ward where the cleaners employed by the hospital. |
| "I can say to Monica and Arnie 'you are coming to our Christmas party aren't you? You're an essential part of our team'." | "I can say to Monica and Arnie 'you are coming to our Christmas party aren't you? You're an essential part of our team'." |
| Private sector defence | |
| The Cleaning and Support Services Association, which represents private firms, has always maintained that there is no link between hospital infection rates and whether cleaning is outsourced. | The Cleaning and Support Services Association, which represents private firms, has always maintained that there is no link between hospital infection rates and whether cleaning is outsourced. |
| Mark Fox, of the Business Services Association, said: "There is no evidence to suggest that outsourcing cleaning services causes increased rates of infection. | |
| "Indeed the private sector has led the way in developing new and innovative technologies to ensure the highest standards of cleaning." | |
| A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Ensuring that hospitals are clean and safe is not as simple as bringing all cleaning in-house. | A Department of Health spokesperson said: "Ensuring that hospitals are clean and safe is not as simple as bringing all cleaning in-house. |
| "There is no evidence of a difference in quality or in infection rates between hospitals that have in-house or out-sourced cleaning. | "There is no evidence of a difference in quality or in infection rates between hospitals that have in-house or out-sourced cleaning. |
| "It is more important to ensure that a culture of cleanliness is embedded at all levels in a trust, and every trust should have a 'champion' to represent cleaning-related issues at board-level." | "It is more important to ensure that a culture of cleanliness is embedded at all levels in a trust, and every trust should have a 'champion' to represent cleaning-related issues at board-level." |
| In a later debate, nurses called on their union to lobby ministers over the provision of fertility treatment. | |
| NHS guidelines in England and Wales recommend that patients be offered three cycles of IVF, but research has suggested many areas struggle to fund that many. | |
| Jane Denton, of the RCN's Fertility Nurses Group, said that the battle patients faced to get treatment just "added to the pain" of struggling to conceive. |