Investment in cleaning coincides with fall in MRSA cases

According to the government's latest annual Hospital Estates and Facilities Statistics report, the NHS spent an additional 10% on cleaning hospitals in the past year.The newly released comprehensive estate management data for 2009-10 revealed that spending on hospital cleaning services rose from £820m to £900m, an increase of 9.7%.

The data coincides with an external report from the Health Protection Agency, which showed that the number of reported cases of hospital-acquired MRSA infections is also on the wane. In the financial year 2008/09, there was a 34% fall in the number of reported cases of MRSA, while in 2007/08, the cases per 10,000 bed days sunk to 0.79,down from 1.19 on the previous year.

Mark Woodhead, chairman of the British Cleaning Council, commented:“This trend, where increased spending is being mirrored by declining rates of MRSA, is very encouraging. It shows that the extra investment in cleaning is being reflected in a substantial reduction of one the greatest threats facing hospital patients today”.

Andrew Large, chief executive of the Cleaning and Support Services Association, added:“We welcome news of budget increases for cleaning, and it shows that the vital work carried out by our industry is being taken seriously by the NHS. In these straightened times,we ask that the government heed the effectiveness of targeted additional investment so that the cases of hospital acquired infections can continue to fall.”

www.britishcleaningcouncil.org