Hospital shamed in watchdog’s report cleans up its act

5:17pm Tuesday 8th April 2008

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A HOSPITAL where blood and dirt were found by cleanliness inspectors has now received a clean bill of health.

On January 30, watchdog the Healthcare Commission reported the cleaning procedures at the Princess Royal University Hospital in Farnborough were not up to scratch.

During an inspection in January, they discovered blood splashes on walls, dirt on ledges, and a lack of suitable tracking procedures for decontamination of instruments.

A Hygiene Code Improvement Notice was issued against Bromley Hospitals' NHS Trust.

The hospital had to have an action plan ready by February 29.

An inspection on March 13 found all the recommendations had been met.

In its follow-up report, the commission said the hospital should continue to monitor areas where improvements had been required.

The trust looked into the cleanliness of all patient areas against NHS national cleaning standards.

It reviewed job descriptions, gave training to staff and introduced methods of monitoring cleaning procedures.

Trust nurse director Jennie Hall said: "The Healthcare Commission's improvement notice has helped us to quickly achieve hygiene standards comparable with the best nationally."