NHS - think cleaners
WORKERS, MAY 2005 ISSUE
UNISON, the union representing many healthcare workers, is running a Think Cleaners campaign. At its recent conference for hospital cleaners, union reps raised concerns such as lack of equipment and proper cleaning products, the shortage of isolation facilities for MRSA and the difficulty of having to clean with visitors always around.
It is a historical fact that the Tories' policy of privatisation of hospital support services 20 years ago led to a halving of hospital domestic staff. This policy, and the under-resourcing it entails, has been continued by the Blair government under the guise of market testing. Market testing is an integral part of EU competition policy, which continues to cause cuts in services and staffing levels both in-house and within private contracts.
The political parties have offered a range of solutions, including the return of the matron. The cleaners had a better set of proposals. The priority is to bring cleaning services back in-house and consult with staff to ensure contracts match needs. More staff should be employed in effective teams with better pay and conditions and adequate training, who will work more hours with better resources.
Management should give a higher priority to cleaning services and show respect to staff instead of pursuing a blame culture, which encourages patients to complain without the staff having a chance to reply.