"Cleanliness during hospital stay"

Dear pegasusgb73,

Thank you for bringing this to our attention and you can assure that all complaints are taken seriously and investigated to ensure we provide the best service possible to our community.

The windows do often appear to have a film covering on the inside and this is due to the chemical used when disinfecting the rooms between patients. Unfortunately, the window appears clean when cleaners leave the room but then develops a haze as the cleaning chemical dries, leaving the appearance that it is hazy. Please rest assure that the rooms are cleaned in accordance with Infection Control policies and procedures to provide patients with a safe environment.

Audits are conducted monthly regarding patient satisfaction and taste evaluation for all meals to ascertain the standard of the meals in terms of temperature, size, taste and the number of options available. This information is fed up to the Multi-Disciplinary Nutrition Committee where it is evaluated and monitored to ensure meals are of the highest quality. Hospital meals are governed by the WA Nutrition Standards for Adult Inpatients which has very strict guidelines on what meals can be served to ensure we are meeting the required nutritional intake to promote recovery.

Fresh water is provided each morning form the catering staff and then refilled by nursing staff on request.

Tea, coffee and snacks are offered three times a day as well as at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unfortunately, if patients are not present in their rooms during this time, food safety regulations to not allow us to leave meals, snacks or drinks in the room to adhere to the Broome Hospital Food safety Plan. This is to ensure that patients receive all meals, drinks and snacks at a temperature safe for consumption.

The disposable curtains used by the hospital should be changed each time there is a terminal clean required and when visibly soiled. They are impregnated with anti-bacterial and anti-mildew chemicals which inhibit bacterial growth and improve infection control at the hospital. Cleaners work tirelessly at the Broome Hospital to provide a clean, safe and presentable facility and I can only assume that this has been a slight oversight at the time and I apologise for this.

All bathrooms have now been inspected and work orders raised to address any issues in all bathrooms. With regards to the cannula, these should be replaced after 72 hours as you correctly mention. We are following up on this with our team.

Thank you also on the positive feedback of our Nursing and Medical staff, which is always greatly appreciated. Feedback has been provided to me from our Clinical Nurse Manager of the ward.

We would like to thank you for taking the time to provide this valuable feedback.

Best regards,

James

Operations Manager – Broome Hospital