Aintree hospital steam clean to kill bugs

Mar 17 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

MORE than 50 key locations at University Hospital Aintree have been steam cleaned as part of the hospital’s battle against superbugs.

Wards, theatres and busy public areas have been deep cleaned as part of a three month extra clean at the hospital which treats around 73,300 inpatients a year.

The Trust had already ordered a special winter clean, which began before Christmas, when the Department of Health announced a £75m deep clean for all NHS hospitals.

“Our work programme was already scheduled when the Department of Health made the announcement,” said Pauline Fleming, the trust’s Domestic Services’ contracts manager. “As a result, we’ve been ahead of the game and although the target completion date for the national deep clean is the end of March, our work is almost complete.”

The process deep cleaned ward curtains, curtain rails, the undercarriage of beds, over bed tables and all ward furniture.

Walls have been steam cleaned to hand height or cleansed with a special cleaning agent. Floors have been steam cleaned, and where appropriate, re-sealed. Extra staff were brought in to carry out the clean, working in teams of four.

“It has been a great team effort and there has been excellent co-operation across all disciplines,” said Ms Fleming.

Sally Ferguson, the trust’s director of nursing and patient services, said: “We feel this extra, deep clean can only have a positive effect in our war against infections.”