CSSA concern over NHS cuts and migrant cases

The CSSA is concerned by the results of a survey conducted by the Nursing Times which reports significant numbers of nurses are undertaking cleaning duties.

September 4 saw the publication of the results of a survey conducted by the Nursing Times in which significant numbers of nurses reported that they had undertaken some cleaning duties in the preceding months.

'This survey gives some cause for concern,' comments Andrew Large, chief executive of the CSSA. 'If 20 per cent of nurses are saying that their NHS Trust is cutting back on cleaning then the risk of resurgence in infectious disease is clear.

'The UK has made great strides in the reduction of MRSA and C Diff since 2002 and it would be a tragedy if Government cuts were to lead to a return to the bad old days.

'The CSSA calls for the NHS to follow the research evidence on hospital cleaning, which suggests that a dedicated cleaner on each ward is both an efficient and effective means of minimising the spread of infection.' The CSSA has also expressed frustration with UK Border Agency revelations on the status of thousands of illegal migrants.

The Daily Telegraph recently revealed that the UK Border Agency is giving up on attempts to locate some 80,000 illegal migrants to the UK for economic reasons. These cases are the remainder of the over 500,000 cases discovered at the Home Office in 2006. Of those, some 180,000 had been allowed to remain, because they had settled by the time their cases were due to be considered.

'I am greatly frustrated at this news, which seems to drive a coach and horses through UK policy on illegal working,' says Large in response to this news. 'How can legitimate employers be expected to police their workforce when the Government has given up? 'If an employer said that it was not worth checking the immigration status of its workforce it would be fined £10,000 per person who was not checked - why is the Government not held to the same standards? 'Legitimate employers want to work with the Government to reduce the incidence of illegal working to a minimum. This task is made all the more difficult when the Government itself gives up on finding 80,000 potential illegal workers.'