University Hospital Zurich
Raemistrasse 100 Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland)
German Hospital Service
Destouchesstr. 1 Munchen, Bayern (Germany)
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust
162 City Road London, Greater London (UK)
Flinders Medical Centre
Flinders Drive, Bedford Park South Australia (Australia)
Hospital cleanliness under fire
ST THOMAS St ThomasElgin General Hospital president Paul Collins is apologetic after a former patient went public on national TV with claims his stay at STEGH was unsanitary
You really wouldnt believe it unless youve seen it city resident Ken Hough said on the program broadcast this week
Hough said he saw dirty bandages and needle covers littering the floor and feces on the back of his toilet during his stay earlier this month
I put on rubber gloves to use the toilet seat and just thought no Im not doing this he said
Hough could not be reached by the TimesJournal for further comment
Collins said the incident is not reflective of STEGH standards
First I would apologize for his experience Its obviously difficult when the patient is in the hospital and worrying about cleanliness and so thats not a standard at least the standard he describes is not a standard that we want to maintain at all Collins said adding STEGH has been in contact with Hough since the report was broadcast
The cleanliness is obviously something that is important to people in their homes and they expect that same level if not better when they come to the hospital
Collins said I do want to say that the staff in the case of Mr Hough were very concerned and disappointed about Mr Hough the experience that he had
However both the nursing staff and our housekeeping staff are very dedicated They work very very hard to address patients needs and weve very proud of the work that they do
Communications specialist Cathy Fox says STEGH employs 40 people on its housekeeping staff in full and parttime positions
All are STEGH employees with the exception of one a housekeeping manager employed by private cleaning company Sodexo Canada
One housekeeper is responsible for each floor with two in the operating room During the day shift there are 20 on hand eight for the afternoon shift and one during the evening shift
Since 2006 the hospital has carried out a hand hygiene audit a system where staff who dont wash their hands are reported by their coworkers
Visitors to the hospital are also asked to clean their hands upon entering and exiting the facility as well as before and after contact with a patient
Asked how a situation like the one Hough described could exist Collins said there are elements in the case that make it tougher to maintain the level of cleanliness
Collins said he couldnt elaborate due to patient confidentiality
STEGH had a 026 infection rate the rate of patients in hospital who develop a clostridium difficile infection from Jan 1 2011 to Dec 31 2011 which is lower than the current provincial score rate per 1000 patient days of 034
Date : 31 Mar, 2012
Reference : http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2012/03/30/19574476.html