UK NEWS

HOSPITAL DEEP CLEANING 'A SHAMBLES'

The Conservatives have branded the deep clean programme 'a shambles'

Saturday March 29,2008

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(19)

Government funding for the controversial NHS deep clean programme is a "shambles", the Tories have claimed.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed that only about a quarter of the cash allocated by the Government appears to have reached frontline teams.

Strategic health authorities (SHAs) can only confirm that £15.6 million (27% of the original £57.5 million) has definitely been given to local NHS trusts to pay for deep cleaning, the Tories said.

Some SHAs were unable to provide figures but the data also suggested SHAs have kept back at least £12.8 million that should have been passed on to NHS trusts.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced plans last September for every NHS hospital to be scrubbed in a bid to tackle bugs like MRSA and Clostridium difficile.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said earlier this year he expected all 1,500 hospitals in England to have deep cleaning finished by the end of March.

However, there is no central monitoring of the programme to check how many hospitals will have finished by Monday's deadline.

The Tories claimed that NHS trusts have had to find at least £22.8 million from their own pockets. The deep cleaning programme is also over budget by at least 18%, or £10.6 million, they said.

Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said: "Once again the Tories have got their numbers wrong. Over £62 million from trust surpluses has been spent on a successful round of hospital deep-cleans.

"Deep-cleans are immensely popular with patients, the public and hospital staff. Far from being a 'gimmick', they are one of a series of initiatives we have delivered to make our hospitals cleaner and safer."

DISGUSTING NHS SHAMBLES

29.03.08, 9:08pm

Bring back Matron, Its the only way to keep hospitals clean and well run make sure EVERYONE SPEAKS GOOD CLEAR ENGLISH who works in a hospital, use bleach and disinfectant and alcohol hand wash should be used by all who visit stop children from going on wards as they carry lots of bugs from nursery and schools and only allow 2 visitors to a bed at any one time it is all commonsense,fine each ward that looses patients because of poor hygiene until Matron returns get rid of the managers and start again .

• Posted by: baj • Report Comment

CHANGE

29.03.08, 8:56pm

I really do hope that all of the people who complain about the government getting our lives all cocked up, are intending to vote for a different party!? And it is no use them saying, AH; but they are all the same, so whats the use of voting for someone else? Well, the use is; at voting time, whether it be local or national, it is the only time you, the British Joe public, can actually get rid of the the incumbent liars, cheats and traitors,to bring in somebody new! And you don't have to vote for any of the tired old threesome. UKIP are the only party that will stop 6.1 billion poundsfrom being wasted of your tax money, in the EU! And that is just one year at the moment! From next year the bill for being in the EU, goes up!! When will the British people switch themselves on?!

• Posted by: peterthepainter • Report Comment

I AGREE GRANDMAVERA

29.03.08, 5:37pm

The visiting public are as much to blame as anyone.
"The great unwashed" someone once said.

I actually feel strange walking in to a ward with my outside shoes on ....wondering if I managed to miss that dog poo I encountered on the pavement or that bit of indescribable something lurking in the car park.

I always wear inside shoes at home.

The whole system of keeping the hospitals pathogen free needs a massive shake up.

• Posted by: abuela • Report Comment

HOSPITAL CLEANING

29.03.08, 5:07pm

Don't blame the cleaners. Blame the hospitals that use contract cleaning agencies who hire anybody who is desperate enough to work for the minimum wage.

They use inexperienced people, some who cannot even speak or understand the English language.

Cleaning Agencies training usually consists of showing the cleaner where the supplies are kept and a short tour of what areas to clean. Nothing else.

BTW, cleaners in some hospitals are also used for making tea, supplying food and anything else you can think of as well and the only difference is, while doing these extra jobs is that they are supplied with a different tabard or apron.

If someone doesn't turn up for work their areas have to be cleaned by the same workers already there, so there is even less time to do it properly.

If hospitals hired their own cleaners instead of using cleaning companies it would definitely improve the cleanliness of the wards and clinics. It would certainly be cheaper for the hospitals and the cleaners wages would be bigger and the training would be better.

With the money they save using their own staff, they could either increase the hours or hire more people to do cleaning on a twenty-four hour basis.

All the people who use the clinics and patients visitors bring dirt and germs in on their shoes and clothes. Out of the vast amount of people who enter hospitals there are many who never even wash their hands after using the toilets and leave the toilets filthy and looking like a herd of pigs had been using it .

I have worked as a cleaner in hospitals and I was horrified at how disgusting outpatients and visitors treated it. They have no consideration for hospitals and its hygiene until they themselves become patients.

In all the years that I spent working in hospitals, the majority of nurses and doctors were very strict about hand washing, etc.

If anyone is seen not sticking to the rules, other staff members will point this out to them.

If hospitals want to get rid of Clodistrium Difficile and MRSA, they should make everyone entering it step into a large shallow foot bowl with disinfectant in it and make everyone wash their hands.

Until this is done, you will get diseases being spread and people dying because of it. And one day, it could be you!!!

• Posted by: grandmavera • Report Comment

PR TORY MACHINE YET AGAIN

29.03.08, 1:57pm

Pr Tory Machine in action :)

Conservative are just grabbing every opportunity to obtain media attention.

Look at the Tories voting records in the great housing of corruption ;)

Now look at what policies they have opposed?

And then look at what changes they would make?

Then ask yourself, what’s the difference?

• Posted by: byteback • Report Comment

URGENTLY NEEDED - A THOROUGH DEEP CLEAN OF THE HOUSE OF CONMEN

29.03.08, 12:49pm

NEVER MIND THE HOSPITALS. I SUGGEST THAT A THOROUGH DEEP CLEAN OF THE HOUSE OF CONMEN IS MOST URGENTLY NEEDED.

THEY CAN START WITH A DEEP CLEAN OF THE SQUEAKER OF THE HOUSE, MICHAEL WHATEVERHISNAMEIS. THEN THEY CAN DEEP CLEAN THE PATHETIC BROWN CREATURE.

GET EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE OF CONMEN TO GARGLE WITH STRONG DISINFECTANT EVERY DAY, THREE TIMES A DAY.

I HAVE LISTENED TO DEBATES IN THE CHAMBER OF THE HOUSE OF CONMEN - IT IS NOTHING SHORT OF A BLOODY PANTOMIME. MP's CAN SAY ONE THING IN THE CHAMBER THEN, WHEN THEY SCURRY TO THE MEMBERS' RESTAURANT TO CRAM DAINTY HOVIS SANDWICHES INTO THEIR GREEDY MOUTHS, THEY CONTRADICT WHAT THEY HAVE JUST SPOUTED IN THE HOUSE.

IF HOSPITALS LACK CREDIBILITY IT IS NOTHING WHEN COMPARED TO THE DEVIOUS ANTICS AND HYPOCRISY CURRENTLY GENERATED BY THE INHABITANTS OF THE HOUSE OF CONMEN.

WHO CARES THAT OUR HOSPITALS ARE DEATH TRAPS OF THE FIRST ORDER? CERTAINLY NOBODY IN THE HOUSE OF CONMEN COULD CARE LESS.

DO THE EXECUTIVE CHIEF OFFICERS OF NHS TRUSTS GIVE A DAMN ABOUT OUR SMELLY HOSPITALS? NO. THEY ARE TOO BUSY COUNTING THEIR MONEY.

I HAVE VISITED HOSPITALS IN THIRD-WORLD COUNTRIES IN AFRICA - THOSE PLACES WERE SPOTLESS. THE PATIENTS WERE TREATED WITH RESPECT.

THE PROBLEM IS NOT PECULIAR TO U.K. HOSPITALS - EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY OF BRITISH SOCIETY NEEDS A SWEEPING DEEP CLEAN - STARTING AT THE TOP. GET RID OF THE PARASITES - WHO SOUND TO ME LIKE GLORIFIED CONMEN IN THE HOUSE. GET RID OF NHS EXECUTIVES AND OTHERS OF THEIR ILK.

IN CASE YOU HAVE NOT NOTICED, EVERY MORNING AT SIX O'CLOCK A LARGE, UNMARKED VAN PULLS UP OUTSIDE NUMBER 10 DOWNING STREET. AT LEAST 50 STOUT BOXES CONTAINING REELS OF PURE RED TAPE ARE TAKEN INSIDE. THIS IS NO ORDINARY RED TAPE. EVERY TIME IT IS CUT IT MULTIPLIES.

MY HOPE IS THAT ONE DAY THOSE BILLIONS OF MILES OF RED TAPE WILL DECIDE TO STRANGLE EVERYONE INSIDE NUMBER 10 AND IN EVERY OTHER GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT.

THEY ARE ALL CLOWNS.

THAT IS WHY WE HAVE STINKING HOSPITALS AND NHS CHIEF EXECUTIVES WHO ARE INTERESTED IN ONE THING ONLY - THEIR GROSSLY INFLATED PAY PACKETS.

FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE WOULD HAVE A FIT IF SHE WERE TO SEE THE STATE BRITISH HOSPITALS ARE IN TODAY.

OH! DO NOT BOTHER COMPLAINING TO YOUR MP.
FROM RECENT PRESS REPORTS IT APPEARS THAT MP's ARE TOO BUSY JUGGLING WITH THEIR OWN EXPENSES PROBLEMS TO BECOME INVOLVED IN DIRTY HOSPITALS.

WHAT A PATHETIC COUNTRY THIS HAS MATURED INTO.