Deep clean gets under way at city hospital

1:29pm Tuesday 5th February 2008

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A DEDICATED team trained to carry out in-depth cleaning has started work at York Hospital in a bid to stop the spread of superbugs.

The £600,000 operation is expected to take two months and is part of the Government's deep-cleaning strategy.

All 30 wards at the Wigginton Road site will be targeted in the project, together with specialist departments and public areas.

Extractor vents, light fittings and fire hoses will all be cleaned, wall tiles will be steam-cleaned and curtains and carpets will be replaced.

The news comes in the same week that the Government made it compulsory for all hospital staff involved in direct patient care to wear short sleeves and no wrist jewellery.

Patrick Crowley, the hospital's chief executive, said: "Getting this additional money from the strategic health authority is fantastic news.

"It doesn't change what we always planned to do, but it enables us to accelerate it and get there far quicker.

"It is a real boost for staff and I know patients will see a real difference."

Funding for the project has come from Yorkshire's NHS trust, or strategic health authority, which has allocated money to NHS organisations across the region.

Penny Lawrence, head of facilities at York Hospital, said: "We have a very good routine cleaning programming, but this is in addition to that - like a spring clean to give it the final sparkle.

"At York Hospital we are committed to infection control, and this extra funding has given us a real opportunity.

"We are using a cleaning agency in York to supplement our existing staff and work alongside them.

"The programme started last week and it will take until the end of March. We are trying to do five wards a week."

The £600,000 will also be spent on changing curtains and bed tables, replacing carpets with more practical laminate flooring, and installing dishwashers in all the wards.

Ms Lancaster said: "We are putting dishwashers into all the wards to make sure all the crockery is thoroughly disinfected.

"Before, we had to use disposable crockery, so this will be much nicer for patients. It's fantastic. Not only has the money given infection control a boost, it is also helping us to improve the patient environment."

A spokesman for the strategic health authority said: "Deep cleaning is a key part of our strategy to improve cleanliness and ensure patients have confidence that their hospitals are safe."

The Government's £50 million deep- cleaning scheme has come under fire from leading health experts, who have questioned how effective the process will be.