The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability got 'exactly what it said on the tin' when i-Clean Systems proposed an independent review of its in-house cleaning operation
 
When a national medical charity, largely dependent on voluntary contributionsfor the continuation of its unique work, occupies a site of some 29,000 sq m with buildings housing 13 wards and providing areas for physiotherapy,recreation and administration, it needsto be sure that its cleaning is being well managed.
 
The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability asked i-Clean Systems to assess the performance of its cleaning operation, benchmarking it against NHS guidelines for cleaning performance. (Although the condition of patients, and no Out-Patient traffic, mean that the hospital's facilities may be used less frequently than in an Acute hospital, reference to the NHS guidelines would provide a useful comparison.)
 
The possibility of introducing contract cleaning would be considered, also.
 
"Our Board of Trustees needed an assurance that we had got the cleaning right, in both cleanliness and cost-effectiveness,' explains Philip Palethorpe, the Hospital's director of facilities who oversaw the review with the facilities manager,Georgina King,and domestic services manager,Sarah Zouiten. "That meant us looking at commercial alternatives to the present in-house arrangement, too.
 
"After a wide-ranging review, i-Clean Systems concluded that our cleaning is of a high standard throughout, and that it is being achieved cost effectively," Mr Palethorpe continues. "A comparison with typical commercial pricing indicated that there would be no advantage, in terms of quality or cost, in outsourcing the work.
 
"Without the independence of the iClean Systems consultants, and their use of objective, benchmarked findings, we might have been accused of self-praise!" adds Mr Palethorpe.
 
Founded in 1854 the Putney, south London-based Royal Hospital for Neurodisability, now employing some 650 staff, specialises in treating people who have suffered damage to their brain or nervous system, caused by accident or illness, such as multiple sclerosis or Huntington's disease.
 
It offers an extensive range of clinical and non-clinical services, which range from physiotherapy and dentistry to music therapy and biomedical engineering. The medical charity receives no funding from the NHS.
 
Since its introduction in August 2005, the i-Clean Cleaning Management System has attracted interest from a variety of public, commercial, manufacturing and service sectors, with healthcare and education particularly well represented.
 
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