Outbreak Resilience Plan (cleaning)

3.1 Step 1: Prioritising cleaning across local site.

Site Management or Equivalent are responsible for decision making on priorities this should be communicated to IPC, the Facilities Manager and duty Facilities Supervisor by email. The prioritisation should include a timescale and a review date. Where possible the prioritisation should involve PC & Facilities leadership.

This should be a short-term solution due to the inevitable impact on the cleaning standards in other areas. Facilities Manager and the relevant General Manager are to ensure impact of this action is not prolonged.

3.2 Step 2: Redistribution of duties.

Explore with clinical staff the potential for non-cleaning duties to be undertaken by auxiliary staff such as serving beverages. This should be a short-term solution due to staff fatigue.

3.3 Step 3: Flexible working day.

Review staff rota with a view to extending working day (excess part time hours or overtime) to focus on cleaning priority areas.

3.4 Step 4: Utilisation of bank staff.

General Services to use bank staff to supply additional cleaning staff as appropriate. This plan will help eliminate delays in terminal cleans following outbreaks as well as ensure additional and adequate cleaning during outbreaks.

3.5 Step 5: Move staff from other sites.

Once contingency options have been exhausted within the local site, General Services Department will prioritise cleaning across the Board. Moving staff around the Board will be dependent upon staff goodwill and may require additional support such as providing transport for domestics that are unable to drive.

3.6
Request for system wide support to conduct tasks in public areas to enable focus on specific areas.

Cleaning will be in line with the national cleaning specifications and as detailed in the Infection Control Manual. These may be amended from time to time as determined by an Incident Management Team. Appendix 1 shows a terminal cleaning checklist which can be used after a terminal clean has been completed to check on cleanliness standards. Appendix 2 details an agreed enhanced cleaning regime which is to be used during outbreaks in inpatient facilities.

Implementing this plan could have financial consequences for NHS Borders. Equally, failure to implement this plan could have significant service costs through protracted avoidable disruption.
At the point where there are directly attributable costs arising from the implementation of this plan, the Facilities Manager will escalate to the Head of Estates and Facilities.