Embedding cleaning as a national priority

THE LEADER of one of the UK’s biggest industries has accused the Government of being ‘dismissive, arrogant and completely missing the point’ for continuing to disregard a campaign that could help save thousands of lives and ease winter pressures on the NHS.

The British Cleaning Council (BCC), which represents the £59billion cleaning, hygiene and waste industry, wrote to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in early October in support of a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Cleaning and Hygiene Industry, entitled Embedding Effective Hygiene for a Resilient UK.

The APPG for the Cleaning and Hygiene Industry was inaugurated in February 2021, with the support of a sizeable number of MPs from all the major political parties and members of The House of Lords. The group exists to promote the critical importance of the cleaning and hygiene industry to the people of the United Kingdom.

In her letter, BCC chair Delia Cannings called on the Government to accept in full the report’s 11 recommendations, which would see cleaning and hygiene embedded as a national priority. 

The measures would make the UK much more resilient to current common infections such as flu and Covid variants and also better prepared for future public health emergencies - like a future pandemic. 

Influenza concerns

There are thousands of deaths annually associated with flu infections in the UK, according to figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Last year the UKHSA published its annual flu report for the 2022 to 2023 flu season, the first time flu had been widespread since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The report indicated that deaths in England associated with flu infection were higher (14,500) than the average figure (13,500) for the five years before the pandemic. This was the highest figure since the 2017 to 2018 season, when there were 22,500 excess deaths associated with flu.

The report also showed that the season started relatively early in the winter, but peaked quickly. Hospitalisations across all ages were higher than average, although some of this may be attributed to increased testing by the NHS compared to previous winters.

There are likely multiple reasons for the above average number of deaths and hospitalisations, but the impact will have been influenced by the dominant circulating strain. Influenza A(H3N2), which was the predominant subtype in 2022 to 2023, is known to be more severe in older age groups.

In addition, evidence suggested that lower population immunity due to reduced flu circulation from social distancing measures during the pandemic meant that, overall, the population was more susceptible to catching flu than usual, contributing to the timing, shape and scale of the influenza season.

The vaccines were well matched to the predominant circulating strain. Vaccine effectiveness against being hospitalised by flu was analysed by looking at patients who were tested for influenza, and was consistent with analysis from previous seasons. The analysis found that getting vaccinated cuts the risk of being hospitalised by flu by a quarter in adults aged 65 years and older, a third in other adults and reduces the risk two-thirds in children. This is on top of the collective protection we all get from the vaccines reducing flu transmission.

This indicates that flu vaccination again this season had an important role preventing serious illness and keeping people out of hospital.

According to Dr Conall Watson, consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, flu returned at scale in the winter of 2022 after being locked out by Covid 19 control measures: Dr Conall explained: "Lower population immunity following flu’s absence played a part in the season starting relatively early and led to lots of people catching flu in a short timeframe.

"Many people needed advice from NHS 111 services and there were high numbers of severe flu episodes that required hospital care, placing pressure on the heath system. The best protection against getting seriously ill and needing hospitalisation is to get the flu vaccine ahead of winter. We have clear evidence that the protection from last season’s vaccine programme helped prevent a much worse winter."

Dro Conall added that adopting the measures would reduce the number of people falling ill, cut admissions to hospitals, thereby easing the shortages of beds and the pressures on staff which typically affect UK hospitals in winter, and reduce deaths.

Health Minister response

A reply from Health Minister Maria Caulfield MP was recently received by the BCC in response to its original letter to the Prime Minister.

The reply said that steps were being taken by the Department of Health and Social Care, the UKHSA and the NHS to plan and prepare for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios.

The letter said the UK had ‘flexible and well-tested pandemic response capabilities’ and that the Government was ‘reviewing non-pharmaceutical interventions and guidance’. It signed off saying ‘I hope this reply is helpful’.

BCC Chair Delia Cannings said: “I am extremely disappointed and frustrated by this dismissive and complacent response, which clearly shows the Government has completely missed the point and failed to engage with this issue of national importance.

“We are calling for the UK to put cleaning and hygiene at the heart of the national agenda and to recognise the vital, frontline role the sector’s skilled and professional cleaning staff have in keeping people healthy, well and safe. 

“The nation has to learn the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic. These steps could save thousands of lives in the future.

“Instead of giving this important campaign the serious thought it deserves and engaging with us, the Government has arrogantly dismissed what we have to say.

“It is completely unacceptable for the Government to treat our industry, one of the biggest in the UK, this way.”

The BCC and 21 organisations from across the industry have been campaigning for the Government to adopt the APPG report since last year.

Industry members are being asked to email their MPs asking them to back the report. Anyone from the sector can download a supporting letter from the BCC’s website to adapt and send to their MP. 

Industry members can visit https://britishcleaningcouncil.org/2023/02/06/download-letter-here to find the letter, APPG report and details of their local MP.

The drive takes place under the umbrella of the BCC’s We Clean, We Care campaign, which reflects the pride that skilled and professional cleaning staff have in the vital, frontline role.

The Embedding Effective Hygiene for a Resilient UK made 11 key recommendations, summarised below:

1. The establishment of a joint Government-industry preparedness team to plan for public health emergencies
2. Minimum levels of cleaning materials and equipment to be agreed and made available in readiness
3. Thought to be given to how to increase production during a public health emergency
4. Key frontline worker status must be bestowed upon cleaning operatives and staff working in supply and manufacturing if a pandemic happens
5. Urgent consideration to be given to making cleaning staff eligible for the Skilled Worker Visa scheme
6. Minimum standards for hygiene infrastructure and cleaning in diverse venues to be agreed
7. A standard qualification for cleaning to be developed within the Apprenticeship Levy
8. Training budgets for cleaning operatives should be adequate
9. Government communications around hygiene in times of pandemic should be clear, consistent, sustained, timely, relevant and specific
10. The Government should use behavioural science-based communication campaigns to promote hygienic behaviour to the public
11. The Government should support the cleaning and hygiene industry in realigning perceptions of the industry.

The BCC is a trade association with 21 member organisations from across the cleaning, hygiene and waste sector. Its research shows that the sector is a UK top ten industry, employing 1.47 million.

For more information about the BCC, visit britishcleaningcouncil.org