Health Care

More cleaners = cleaner hospitals

UNISON's action plan for cleaner hospitals

Dirty hospitals increase the risk of hospital acquired infections such as MRSA and are unacceptable to patients and staff.

Yet the number of cleaners working in the NHS has halved in the last 20 years.

UNISON believes that more and better-trained cleaning staff are key to improving standards of hospital cleanliness.

Hospitals need to have sufficient, properly trained and equipped cleaning staff, who are valued and rewarded as an important part of the healthcare team.

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(18/04/07) UNISON outlines recommendations to prevent patients becoming infected

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(26/04/06) Hospital workers call for better laundry facilities to beat MRSA

Two thirds of hospitals fail cleanliness test

(15/12/05) New survey reveals “too many” hospitals not delivering on hygiene

Cleaners' voices: interviews with hospital cleaning staff

(27/01/05) UNISON lifts the veil on the day to day reality of working life for hospital cleaners

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More cleaners equals cleaner hospitals

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis:

"The 'market' halved the number of cleaners, cut their pay and conditions, and standards plummeted. Now, spiralling hospital acquired infections cost the NHS more than £1 billion and at least 5,000 lives a year.

"We want to shift the focus onto the failures of the contracting process and under resourcing of staff - we need more cleaners and sufficient equipment if we are to achieve decent levels of hygiene in our hospitals."

Link to a document on this siteDownload: "Hospital contract cleaning and infections" (PDF)

Link to a document on this siteDownload: "Cleaners' voices: interviews with hospital cleaning staff" (PDF)

Link to a document on this siteDownload: leaflet about cleaner hospitals (PDF)

Link to a document on this siteDownload: A4 poster (PDF)

Link to a document on this siteDownload: A5 recruitment leaflet (PDF)