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Care Opinion

Lack of cleanliness

Posted By worried carer

"Lack of cleanliness"

About: St George Hospital

(as a relative),

Over the last 12 months, I have spent many long hours with my spouse who since passed away and my elderly parent who was recently discharged. My parent was in ward 7 South. My spouse was in various wards including ward 6 and ward 4. I noticed this when my spouse was in but unfortunately didn't report it.

Recently, there was a wonderful cleaner who, I feel, very efficiently cleaned a bed and the surrounds after a patient was discharged making way for a new patient. But, later that day 2 other cleaners were cleaning a discharged bed very, very well and then realised the pillow was missing. They took the pillow from the other discharged uncleaned bed and put a pillow slip on it. One said to the other that it hadn't been disinfected as yet and the other said let's not worry about it. Then a different cleaner came in to clean the other bed.

They came with a damp white cloth and proceeded to first clean the bedside chest of drawers both inside the drawers and the surrounds, used the same cloth without any product and used it to clean the TV remote control then the bed railings and finally same cloth to wipe down the bed. In my opinion, it's no wonder the hospital infections are so bad.

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Responses

Response from Rebecca Tyson, Acting General Manager, St George Hospital 4 years ago
Rebecca Tyson
Acting General Manager,
St George Hospital

Submitted on 18/03/2020 at 1:03 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 2:38 PM

picture of Rebecca Tyson

Dear worried carer,

I thank you for your feedback. Please be assured that we take matters relating to cleanliness and infection control very seriously in our Hospital. There are strict guidelines to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of cleaning.

In relation to your observations concerning cleaning staff, they are employed by ISS Services who are contracted to provide cleaning services in NSW Health facilities and are bound by the same guidelines as NSW Health Staff.

I can advise that ISS have implemented and use a full microfiber cleaning system which allows for a more thorough and efficient clean, whilst mitigating circumstances at which a cloth or mop may be used over multiple surfaces and rooms within patient environments.

The system employs a method of clean and dry cloths and mops loaded into the specifically designed trolley system and then pre-soaked/prepared with ph. Neutral detergent for the cleaning tasks of the scheduled day. The cloths themselves are folded in a way that can then be used over eight different surfaces with a clean face being used each time.

What cleaning staff don’t do is use techniques that require the rinsing of mops and cloths or using open buckets with solution as this method leads to surfaces being left far too wet which poses a potential Work Health Safety risk such as slips, trips and falls and bacteria and dirt being spread from one patient area/surface to another. Once a cloth or mop comes into contact with moisture bacteria cultures increase on the surfaces of the cloths and mops over time, meaning that the longer the cloth or mop is used the greater the risk of spreading bacteria.

The microfiber system introduces multiple cloths and mops during the cleaning cycle to mitigate this very risk. The microfiber cleaning system has been endorsed by the NSW Agency of Clinical Innovation for some time now and is recommended to healthcare facilities as the cleaning method of choice for environmental impact and hygiene.

I do hope that my response addresses your concerns in a manner consistent with their seriousness. I will ensure that your feedback regarding the pillow is provided to the Manager of our cleaning services.

If you require further information, or have any further concerns, please contact our Patient Experience Manager on 9113 2687

Yours sincerely

Rebecca Tyson

Acting General Manager

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