Taking stock of cleaning processes

UNLIKE A stand-alone cleaning inspection, an audit also focuses on processes and procedures in place and the results highlight any apparent risks and areas that might require improvement.

In response to rising requests within the cleaning community, BICSc is pleased to announce the option to take audits to another level with the imminent launch of the BICSc Audit app.

This latest technological innovation will feature the same criteria that BICSc incorporate for traditional audits and in addition to this, the soon to be launched audit app will be adaptable, allowing users to tailor acceptable quality levels (AQL) to their own individual business requirements.

We are delighted to be able to announce the imminent arrival of our BICSc Audit app. This app will help revolutionise the industry and its adaptability and agility make it a perfect tool for organisations operating within the cleaning community.

We are excited about this latest technological advancement which demonstrates how BICSc continues to innovate and strive for raising standards across the industry. We anticipate the app will prove extremely popular and will be an invaluable additional asset for the professional cleaning sector.”

It is widely acknowledged all audits are instrumental in helping increase operational standards and maintain them at higher levels.

The importance of audits

The current BICSc Cleaning & Hygiene Audit is comprehensive. It includes an in-depth check of processes, systems, paperwork, policies, areas included in the cleaning specification, staff behaviours and appearance, and the standard of the equipment available to the cleaning operatives.

In facilities where audits are carried out regularly, it is proven that the quality of the cleaning improves, and, frequently, is the start of a cycle of continuing increased standards – the quality of cleaning improves, which increases morale and motivation of the cleaning operatives, which in turn encourages them on to improve on the previous report. All the while helping to continue to drive up the standards achieved. 

For a number of years, BICSc have been undertaking independent cleaning and hygiene audits at customers’ requests and this is something that the organisation will continue to do. However, a number of customers voiced their concerns that if the cleaning operatives know that an audit is on the horizon they will put in extra effort until the audit is over, rather than applying the same standard regardless of whether or not an audit is due.

Increasingly businesses have also made it known that they would like to be able to conduct ad-hoc audits themselves, rather than rigidly sticking with a format of, for example, the recommended minimum four a year undertaken by BICSc, however they want to use the same criteria so that the results can be comparable.

Other customers have also asked if we can change the AQLs for the inspection – maybe due to the nature of the business undertaken in the building they feel that the BICSc standards that we use for our audits are either too low or too high.

These requests were reviewed and BICSc has responded with the announcement of the soon to be launched BICSc Audit app.

The new app

The new app will feature the same criteria that BICSc use for an audit, but users can set their own overall report score that they feel is more suited to their business (which includes the results from the paperwork and processes section, combined with the results from the cleaning inspection section), and they also have the flexibility of setting their own AQLs for the room categories for the building inspection.

There are 17 different room categories available to assign to the rooms used for inspection – including the Healthcare Functional Risk categories 1-6.

Each category has a list of default elements assigned (including the 50 elements as outlined in the NHS National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021 manual for the Functional Risk categories) and the user will have the ability to add elements to the rooms if any are missing.

The user will also be able to add comments and pictures to back-up their response to any of the process and procedures questions.

They will be able to add comments and pictures to rooms that are inspected. They will also be able to add comments and pictures to elements within the room should they wish to drill down to that level during the inspection.

When the audit has been completed the user can submit the results and generate a PDF report that they can download which will calculate an overall result by including the section results and the inspection results. All comments and pictures that were added during the audit can also be included in the report. To be able to submit and generate a report, a small monthly subscription will be required which can be cancelled at any time. There is no limit to the frequency or number of audits a subscribed user can submit, and they can access all historic audits they have submitted whilst the subscription is active.

The report will be automatically time and date stamped when it is submitted to remove any query over when the audit was undertaken.

The app will be a free, smartphone app available to download from both the Apple and Google app stores.

Whilst being designed specifically for a smartphone, it will also work on an Apple or Android tablet.

Neil-Spencer Cook is chief operating officer​ at BICSc.

For more information visit www.bics.org.uk