Member Article

NHS service expands deep cleaning assessment to support North East businesses

As an increasing number of UK workers are being asked to self-isolate, the NHS Deep Cleaning and Advisory Service has expanded its cleaning assessment services to support local businesses.

The NHS Deep Cleaning and Advisory Service has launched a new risk and operational assessment service to support North East businesses in maximising their operational activity as Covid-19 cases continue to rise.

Local businesses are facing the twin challenges of eased restrictions and increased operational downtime due to employees self-isolating. However, this downtime is often preventable provided businesses adhere to a high standard of cleanliness.

The Service, managed by NTH Solutions, the subsidiary of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, has designed the assessment to support local businesses in complying with the NHS standard of cleanliness.

As part of the assessment, businesses will receive a visit by an experienced NHS decontamination manager who will conduct a full visual inspection, adenosine triphosphate swab testing, a review of COSHH procedures, a technique efficacy assessment and a compliance assessment measured against the latest government guidance on Covid-19. Recommendations will then be provided in a detailed written report, outlining expert advice on the next steps for the business.

Since its launch in the summer of 2020, the NHS Deep Cleaning and Advisory Service has supported hundreds of organisations across the UK with a range of measures, including deep cleaning and bio decontamination, advisory audits and RSPH-accredited training in ‘Cleaning the NHS way’. Customers include education trusts, Sue Ryder hospices, Sunderland AFC and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council.

As an NHS organisation, the income generated by the Service is reinvested back into NHS Trusts to enhance frontline patient care.

Tony Sullivan, Environmental and Decontamination Manager at the NHS Deep Cleaning and Advisory Service, said: “With infection rates continuing to rise and local businesses coming under further pressure, it is vital we prevent the spread of infection in the workplace and keep standards of cleanliness as high as we can.

We have had great success rolling out our Service to schools, care homes and others, and we’re delighted to now make our resources available to local businesses as well. We’re on a mission to extend the NHS standard of cleanliness across the whole of the North East, not just to support our local businesses, but ultimately to keep people safe at work and bring infection rates down.“

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lauren Wright .