Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) is Western Australia’s flagship health facility and the major tertiary hospital in the south metropolitan area of Perth with 783 beds. As one of Australia’s most advanced public hospitals it offers excellent patient care thanks to the best people, practices and technologies. Serco provides 25 non-clinical services at Fiona Stanley Hospital, including cleaning services.
Serco’s priority is providing a hygienically clean facility, preventing and controlling the spread of infection and maintaining its reputation for high standards. This priority led Serco and the hospital to partner with Rubbermaid Commercial Products (RCP) to ensure the facility provided a hygienic and healthy environment for patients, staff and visitors.
CLEANING CHALLENGE
When Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) opened in 2014 it needed a cleaning solution that would deliver a high standard of infection prevention and control to ensure a hygienic and safe environment.
Serco required a large quantity of cleaning products to be continually available in Western Australia, so sought a supplier that could provide ongoing support and superior customer service for the long-term.
FINDING THE BEST SOLUTION
Serco’s Cleaning Services took on the challenge of finding the right partner for the hospital. Several factors influenced the decision to partner with Rubbermaid Commercial Products, most importantly the efficacy of their superior microfibre. RCP’s HYGEN Microfibre has been proven to remove 99.9 per cent of microbes, the food source for live pathogens.
Secondly, Serco considered the lifecycle of the product to ensure value for money. RCP’s HYGEN Microfibre colour coded cloths are reusable and fully launderable up to 500 cycles, reducing waste and product expenses. The bright colours and design made it clear which cloth is to be used for which job, introducing a more efficient cleaning cycle. RCP worked with Serco to train cleaning staff to maximise the lifecycle of the cloths and mops.
This resulted in less waste being sent to landfill. Plus, with less water and chemicals required in the cleaning process, it proved a superior system both from an environmental and cost-savings perspective.
The HYGEN Microfibre system features built-in scrubbers that enable complete dirt removal without smearing. Designed for use with or without chemicals and requiring much less water than traditional cleaning methods, it is a more sustainable way to clean.
CLEANING WITH CONFIDENCE
When FSH implemented a 100 per cent microfibre system, with both the mops and cloths in use, it was a relatively new innovation within Australia’s health care sector. The hospital’s first step was to instill confidence in microfibre – not only with the cleaning team but with the infection and prevention management team as well.
Confidence in the product is high, with research proving it is a superior system to traditional methods in terms of removing pathogens and organisms from the point of cleaning.
“Knowing that evidence based research has been published on the efficacy and load reduction for Rubbermaid Microfibre products, provides quality, safety and a level of confidence in the microfibre product that we are unable to gain from other product manufacturers.” Kristie Popkiss Infection Prevention and Clinical Operations Manager Serco, Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Cleaners are able to turnaround a room much faster as they can cover more floor space with the microfibre mops. Mopping floors with microfibre uses less water so it’s touch-dry within moments, reducing the risk of slips and falls for improved OHS outcomes.
“The good thing about RCP is the ergonomic design of the products. For example, the cloths and mops decrease bending, twisting and manual handling, which helps to reduce workplace strain and injuries.”
The product is only one part of the equation; cleaners receive training on how to use the products correctly to get the most out of them. When FSH went live it was a massive operation with more than 280 cleaners on site. RCP was on site assisting with training, product set-up and getting everyone up to speed quickly.
“Knowing that evidence based research has been published on the efficacy and load reduction for Rubbermaid’s Microfibre products, provides quality, safety and a level of confidence in the microfibre product that we are unable to gain from other product manufacturers”
KRISTIE POPKISS
Infection Prevention and Clinical Operations Manager Serco
Fiona Stanley Hospital
