More cleaners = cleaner hospitals

UNISON's action plan for cleaner hospitals
Dirty hospitals increase the risk of hospital acquired infections such as MRSA and are unacceptable to patients and staff.

Yet the number of cleaners working in the NHS has halved in the last 20 years.

UNISON believes that more and better-trained cleaning staff are key to improving standards of hospital cleanliness.

Hospitals need to have sufficient, properly trained and equipped cleaning staff, who are valued and rewarded as an important part of the healthcare team.

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UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis:

"The 'market' halved the number of cleaners, cut their pay and conditions, and standards plummeted. Now, spiralling hospital acquired infections cost the NHS more than £1 billion and at least 5,000 lives a year.

"We want to shift the focus onto the failures of the contracting process and under resourcing of staff - we need more cleaners and sufficient equipment if we are to achieve decent levels of hygiene in our hospitals."

Download: "Hospital contract cleaning and infections" (PDF)

Download: "Cleaners' voices: interviews with hospital cleaning staff" (PDF)

Download: leaflet about cleaner hospitals (PDF)

Download: A4 poster (PDF)

Download: A5 recruitment leaflet (PDF)

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