Board level approach to cleaning pays dividends
April 1st 2006

After working closely with the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to develop a 'total approach' to cleaning, Karcher is underpinning a cleaning management system for the Trust's six sites

The win comes as a result of superior equipment, extended product trial and a personalised training programme, according to the Trust. "The difference between this and the more usual product deal is in the holistic approach to such a major cleaning challenge taken by the Trust and ourselves," says Simon Keeping, Karcher managing director. "We worked with the Trust to look at the `big picture', looking at ways that the cleaning process could be approached as a whole as well as the best solution for individual spaces."

The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest in the UK, and has a major cleaning requirement covering several sites, a multitude of wards and operating theatres and a huge expanse of space. The Leeds Hospital site alone represents over 0.5 million square metres.

Regular reviews of cleaning at the Trust were reporting no particular issues, but the organisation's dynamic operations team - Andrew Matthews, Head of Hotel Services, and Deputy Heads of Hotel Services Craige Richardson and Chris Davies - believed it could be improved still further. They wanted to implement a complete solution across all sites, rather than the existing, more fragmented approach, and began by studying every area of the Trust's sites before developing a "wish list" for the cleaning need.

The team approached the task by taking the challenge to the board, making it a top-level issue and securing buy-in for a total rethink of Trust cleaning. Following detailed discussions, Karcher provided a recommendation on the most effective approach for each area.

"What works best for a ward won't necessarily be the best solution for a theatre or a corridor," says Karcher's Gordon McVean who manages the Leeds partnership. "Variable factors include the floor finishes, space limitations and the time available to clean each space." McVean was able to recommend the most effective equipment for each space - from steam cleaners for bathrooms to scrubbers for ward floors.

Equipment selection

Karcher says its equipment was selected because the machines offered exceptional efficiency - a better standard of cleaning, more hygienic results and a higher shine - than alternatives. During trials, cleaning staff also commented that Karcher's equipment was more user-friendly and manoeuvrable than the machines supplied by other manufacturers.

Another key reason cited by the Trust in choosing to work with Karcher, ahead of three other major suppliers, was the "value added" service it offered around product trial. "We were loaned equipment worth around £40,000 for a five month period," says Andrew Matthews.

"That was significantly more equipment, and for much longer, than rival companies meaning we could thoroughly test the kit and conduct realistic `live' trials before making a decision."

Such trials included a specialised team of Karcher cleaning experts working alongside hospital staff to test the equipment and train individuals, meaning that when the trials ended they were able to roll out the new system smoothly and immediately.

Staff who had been trained by Karcher became trainers themselves, cascading the bespoke training to the Trust's 1,800 domestics and housekeepers.

The new equipment and staff training has resulted in the introduction of a bespoke cleaning system, where each area of the Trust is now cleaned in the most effective way possible - from a hygiene perspective and in terms of the time spent cleaning. Floors are scrubbed and polished using ultra high-speed rotary machines, and bathrooms and toilets steam cleaned. Scrubbers are also used to restore the anti-slip properties to floors after cleaning.

"In the past, for example, a cleaner might have cleaned a ward floor with a mop and then had to go over it again with a second machine to polish it," explains McVean. "Now, with the introduction of Karcher ultra high speed burnishers, that job is completed in one go."

Morale boosting

"The new 'cleaning management system' is working extremely well," says Andrew Matthews. "The Trust and Karcher have a mutually supportive relationship and I'm sure it will continue to be so."

An unexpected benefit has been a morale boost for staff and patients.

"Visually, the shiny floors and general cleanliness has made a great impact and patients seeing the distinctive Karcher equipment in action are reassured that the hospital is paying attention to detail over every aspect of their care," says Matthews. Staff who undertook the Karcher training were also presented with 'certificates of cleaning'which were very well-received.

"The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust contract is one of Karcher's most significant hospital hygiene contracts globally," concludes Simon Keeping, "so we're absolutely delighted to be working with them.

Needless to say we will continue to work hard to ensure that they remain totally satisfied with our service."

Karcher has developed a dedicated NHS website: www.karcher-nhs.co.uk - which features a video case study from Leeds, including feedback from cleaning staff .

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