NHS National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness

TARGET AUDIENCE

• The National standards of healthcare cleanliness 2021 (the national standards) apply to all healthcare settings – acute hospitals, mental health, community, primary care, dental care, ambulance trusts, GP surgeries and clinics, and care homes, regardless of the way cleaning services are provided.
• Healthcare establishments must be able to demonstrate how and to what standard they are being cleaned.
• Those responsible for cleaning will vary (cleaning services providers, nursing, and other clinical and non-clinical staff (including housekeepers) and estates staff, depending on the size of healthcare establishments and the clinical and non-clinical equipment they house.

AIMS

• To provide knowledge and facilitate learning including a knowledge base of the NHS National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness relating to criteria 2 of The Health & Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance (DH)2022
• To provide opportunities to enhance learning
• To generate debate and critical appraisal
• To empower attendees to role model and drive appropriate infection prevention practice in their place of work thus embedding IPC processes in the transformation agenda
• To facilitate the implementation, maintenance and assurance of NHS standards of Healthcare Cleanliness in the attendee’s environment

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• To understand the regulatory frameworks including guidance and their application
• To understand and discuss their role and responsibilities
• To identify and discuss principles of environmental cleanliness and how the attendee can encourage and support its implementation
• To discuss the implementation, maintenance and assurance of key practice issues in the specific health care setting with examples used.
• To understand the importance of risk assessment and its role in improving practice / ensuring compliance by identifying gaps in service provision
• To understand the importance of the audit and monitoring processes and their role in improving practice / ensuring compliance by identifying gaps in service provision