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Hospital housekeeping team awarded for commitment to excellence
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust’s housekeeping team has recently received the CIMS Award for Commitment to Excellence at the British Institute of Cleaning Science's annual awards ceremony.
The award recognises the dedication of individuals for their commitment to excellence and the CIMS (Cleaning Industry Management Standard) programme, meeting the requirements of a successful, quality cleaning organisation.
The team was represented at the ceremony by Carlos Alves, housekeeping services manager at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. Carlos said: "We're really proud of the work we do. All 150 members of our housekeeping team are highly motivated and fully aware of the importance of their contribution to the safety of our patients, staff and visitors. We take cleanliness and hygiene very seriously and with the support of our senior management team we are encouraged to think outside the box and continuously look for ways to improve how we deliver our services. This award is proof of that. The team deserve this praise and I thank them for all their hard work."
Cleanliness is a high priority across the Trust with a particular focus on infection prevention and staff work together to lead the fight against infections such as clostridium difficile, norovirus and MRSA. The Trust has a strong record on keeping infection cases to a minimum, with sustained reductions in c. difficile and no avoidable MRSA bacteraemia cases recorded since May 2013.
As the winter months approach, hospitals often see an increase in diarrhoeal illnesses, including norovirus. The infections, which may start in the community, can be brought into the hospital. The Trust calls on visitors to the hospital to be vigilant and take care to clean their hands thoroughly.
West Suffolk Hospital was also the UK’s first hospital to achieve CIMS certification with honours earlier this year. Carlos continues to explain the importance of constantly improving practice in housekeeping: “Cleaning is a science, and we want to be at the forefront of research and development in this field. I am pleased to say that we are looking to introduce automated floor washing ‘robots’ that will free up our team to focus on improving standards around the Trust, such as deep cleaning programmes, air mattress sanitation, and laundry services.”
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