Health Secretary unveils deep cleaning plan

In a statement to the House of Commons, the Health Secretary told MPs that trusts will have to submit detailed deep clean plans, including costs, to their Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs). Deep cleaning is one element of a wider range of measures introduced by the government, which all trusts need to take to tackle healthcare associated infections and ensure patient safety.

Foundation trusts will also be invited to agree plans and funding for additional deep cleaning with local commissioners, together with local arrangements for checking the agreed work has been carried out. SHAs will be expected to report progress across their regions to the Department of Health.

All ten regions have allocated dedicated funding to support the deep clean. Infection control is a complex problem that needs a range of solutions. There is no single remedy.

Johnson said: “Undertaking a deep clean is a key part of our strategy to improve cleanliness and ensure patients have confidence that their hospitals are safe. The SHAs have now allocated funding so that hospitals can get on with the Deep Clean programme this winter with the aim of completing all deep cleans by the end of March 2008. People want an NHS that is clean and safe, the deep clean programme will help to reassure patients and build public confidence in the NHS.”

Progress on the deep clean programme and new details on reporting were unveiled as the results of the latest Patient Environment and Action Team (PEAT) inspection were published by the National Patient Safety Agency.

The inspections measure patient satisfaction with a range of areas including food and aspects of privacy and dignity, as well as cleanliness and the patient environment.

The published figures show that in 2007, 98% of hospitals were rated excellent, good or acceptable: up from 95% in 2006. This is against a more rigorous process in 2007 than for 2006.

Johnson added: “Patients tell me that they are concerned about standards of cleanliness in the NHS and their concerns are my concern. I am pleased to say that hospitals have made progress. This year’s PEAT inspection results show only a handful of hospitals rated ‘poor’ or ‘unacceptable’ for the patient environment.

“This is good progress, but every hospital in England should aspire to the level of the best. Excellent standards are what patients and staff want and should expect from our NHS.”

The Prime Minister unveiled details of the deep clean programme in October. On the 1 November, the NHS received guidance on what a deep clean might entail. The details of the deep clean will be finalised locally.