Major deal for Leeds hospitals
October 1st 2005 Senior management at the Leeds' Teaching Hospitals have taken a major step in winning the hospital hygiene battle. They're introducing a revolutionary new cleaning system that will further improve hygiene standards, minimising the risk of cross-contamination.
The contract covers all Leeds' hospitals which, collectively, have over 3000 beds. It's the largest single order for Vileda Professional's SWEP microfibre mopping system, not just in the UK, but across the whole of Europe. As part of the deal, Vileda will be supplying them with a staggering 14 000 mops!
So how does SWEP earn its 'revolutionary' tag? Well, for a start its mop heads and cloths are made from ultrafine microfibres. They literally scrape, remove and absorb dirt from the surface, leaving nothing behind but tiny water droplets. This improves cleanliness and reduces risk.
Regular changing of mop heads is also a key factor. Once the cleaner finishes in one room they simply change the mop and place another pre-prepared one on the frame for use in the next room. The soiled mop is then placed in a bag for laundering. This process also eliminates the need for regular time-consuming water changes.
"Following trials on wards at St James and the General Infirmary feedback from staff quickly confirmed that the SWEP system is not only very effective but also much easier to use," says Andrew Matthews, Head of Hotel Services for Leeds' Hospitals. "The cloths are excellent for cleaning flat surfaces, such as table tops, which are of course the areas patients come into direct contact most. The mops are more efficient way of cleaning because it’s ‘one-step system’, eliminating the need for a pre-sweep. They also found the trolley convenient to use because it means that they no longer have to carry heavy buckets of water."
"Using SWEP has highlighted the inefficiencies and risks associated with normal wet-mopping," Andrew continues. "Using a single mop heightens the risk of spreading dirt and bacteria from one ward to another. Another added risk is that the water becomes contaminated quickly. Combined with the use of colour coded cloths for specific cleaning tasks, it's easy to see why SWEP offers a much more effective and efficient cleaning method helping prevent cross-contamination in ward areas, which will benefit both our staff and, of course, our patients." More articles from Vileda Professional: | 
