Winning ways for ISS Mediclean
January 1st 2006

Winning awards is becoming a habit for ISS Mediclean: its work at the Royal Brompton Hospital bagged the 'Best Cleaned Healthcare Premises by a Contract Cleaning Company' at this year's Golden Service Awards - and also the overall award for the Best Entry of the Year. The company scooped the former award last year too, for its contract at Blackpool's Victoria Hospital. However, this year, ISS wasn't finished: its Facilities Services contract with Earls Court Exhibition Centre won the BICSc Industry Training Award.

"It's the first time to my knowledge that the award has gone to the same contractor two years running,"says Craig Smith, head of communications for ISS in the UK. "So it's a big surprise, but a welcome one."

Smith says the company usually goes in for the awards because it recognises their value - not for its own purposes but for the industry in general. "We think it's a good idea," says Smith. "It raises the awareness of hospital cleaning in general - and in a positive light."However, Smith admits the award does have PR benefits: "It acknowledges the fact that this company provides a quality service and is another indication that we deliver," he says. "Mediclean tends not to go out and broadcast it, but we are certainly very proud of it."

He says winning the awards isn't simply about getting it right on the day, but proving to the judges that the policies, procedures and systems are in place to ensure consistent high standards. "You have to demonstrate to them on an ongoing basis that you are on top of the hospital cleaning standards and that staff are highly trained and are continually looking to improve."

Smith says there is no correlation between what it pays its cleaning staff and the level of service they attain. He says results are down to "well trained, well committed individuals".

"As with everyone else, we have to accept that we can only pay as much as our customers can afford - which isn't always as much as we would like it to be,"Smith continues. "But I think ISS Mediclean has always been known in its industry as the more expensive end of the market. And that is the case: with Mediclean you get what you pay for." In which case, it might not be to surprising to see a familiar line-up at next year's 'Oscars'.

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