Following criticism in the national press that hospital nurses were being expected to undertake cleaning duties such as toilet cleaning and mopping floors, we contacted Harrogate District Hospital to find out what their policy was.
The concerns were around having inadequate cleaning staff, diverting nurses away from the front-line care of patients and not being adequately trained on cleaning duties so potentially increase risk of infection.
A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:
We employ an excellent team of trained domestic staff who undertake the cleaning of wards and communal areas, which is all part of our commitment to keeping our good record for infection control. They form a crucial part of our frontline team.
Our nursing staff are there to spend time on what they are best at, which is caring for patients.
Harrogate District Hospital has once again demonstrated a clear and sensible policy in the management of its high quality services to the community, bucking the national trends just a little more.
So how did the nurses cope in the old days. Hospitals were cleaner, scrubbed indeed, all under the watchful eye of Matron.There was no room for complaining and patient care was absolutely second to non.
Ask any nurse who worked during the 1950’s and 1960’s etc and they will tell you they even had to polish the wheels on the beds. Also you had a nurse sit on your ward all night at a desk, watching over the patients. Not simply a ‘Nurse’s station’.
I’m not for one minute suggesting nurses don’t do a wonderful job, indeed when we are really poorly, we feel safe and so much better just by the sight of the uniform. That said, nursing was always ‘a vocation’ and i’m sure many patients would agree that many a nurse has lost that ‘special touch’, that made nurses so special.Sadly this is across the country, in no way directed solely at Harrogate. paperwork is causing many problems, however there are times when patients are simply ignored. This has been proven and shown time and time again. First hand accounts.
I have to say, I would rather see a trained member of staff in a clean and tidy uniform, cleaning efficiently, than a young person is scruffy trousers, far too long and torn at the bottom and a pair of dirty trainers to complete the ‘Uniform’. This passes as uniform now and little thought given to infection control when looking at the dress code of a large number of staff. Again this is acroos the board and not just Harrogate. All that said, everyone knocks the National Health, but everyone wants to use it. It just needs a good shake up and all round nurse training, not just on the University standard of nursing, but also the care that used to go into caring for patients. Mr Cameron, go and talk to patients across the country, see what they say.