Ward and Department Cleaning and Infection Prevention

Keeping the NHS clean and preventing infection is everybody’s responsibility, from the Chief Executive to the healthcare cleaner. This Charter sets out the Trust’s commitment to ensure a consistently high standard of cleanliness is delivered in all of our healthcare facilities.

On this page:

What our Commitment to Cleanliness Charter means

  • We want the ward or department to be clean and safe.
  • Everyone helps keep the hospital clean: managers, nurses, cleaners, patients and visitors.
  • Some areas are Isolation Areas. These are cleaned with yellow equipment to stop infection spreading.

You will see a Cleaning Summary poster below in ward areas.

Protected meal times

  • Meal times are special and important. 
  • During meal times:  
  • Cleaning is done away from patients. 
  • Nurses are not disturbed, so they can help patients to eat. 
  • This helps patients get the food and support they need. 

 

What we clean and how often

Sanitary areas (toilets, sinks, baths, showers) 

  • Cleaned every day.
  • Checked again later in the day. 
  • Done by Facilities Services.

Patient areas (beds, chairs, lockers, doors, windows, surfaces) 

  • Beds and lockers: cleaned every day and when a patient leaves.
  • Mattresses: cleaned by nurses following local rules and when a patient leaves. 
  • Chairs, doors, surfaces: cleaned every day. 
  • Windows and curtains: cleaned regularly (for example every 6 months or weekly). 
  • Done mainly by Facilities Services. 

Floors 

  • Hard and soft floors: cleaned every day and checked again later. 
  • Done by Facilities Services. 

Kitchen areas 

  • Fridge and freezer outside: cleaned every week and checked daily. 
  • Cupboards: cleaned every month and checked daily.
  • Done by Facilities Services.

Medical equipment 

  • Cleaned by Nursing Staff following local rules.

Cleaning equipment (trolleys, mops, cloths) 

  • Cleaned after each use.
  • Done by Facilities Services.

 

Our promises to you

We promise to: 

  • Treat you in a clean and safe place.
  • Reduce the risk of infection as much as possible. 
  • Keep the building, fixtures and fittings in good condition so they can be cleaned properly. 
  • Make sure roles and responsibilities for cleaning are clear. 
  • Have strong leadership so cleanliness is taken seriously. 
  • Review and improve cleanliness all the time.
  • Listen to your views about how clean the ward or department is. 
  • Give clear information about infection and how to prevent it. 
  • Train our staff so they know how to prevent infection.
  • Design new areas so they are easy to clean.

Signed by: 

  • Chief Executive
  • Chief Nurse

 

How you can help

You can help by: 

  • Following good hand hygiene and other hygiene signs around the ward.
  • Asking if you want more information about cleanliness or infection.
  • Telling us if you see something that is not clean or worries you.

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