Praise for NNUH Deep Clean

A new report on the NHS Deep Clean highlights partnership work undertaken at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as best practice for hospitals nationally.

The deep clean process undertaken at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital was highlighted in the Department of Health's “From Deep Clean to Keep Clean, Learning from the Deep Clean Programme” report.

The hospital's senior nurses set up a project board that brought Serco contractors and NHS staff together to tackle the Deep Clean programme together. The hospital's cleanliness was rated by the National Patient Safety Agency as Excellent for the third year running.

Infection rates are also falling. Clostridium difficile rates at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital were among the lowest in the region last year and rates have continued to fall. Over the past six months the Trust has seen just 65 cases against a target of 100.

The rate of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia infection at NNUH was also halved over the past three years from 64 bacteraemia infections to 33 cases in 2007/08 and there have been only six cases over the past six months.

Director of Nursing Christine Baxter said; “The Deep Clean project group did a fantastic job of leading and delivering this programme and it was an excellent example of collaborative working with Serco. We are delighted that the Department of Health's new report has highlighted some of the work we did as best practice nationally.”

The Trust's staff have employed a wide range of measures to successfully tackle infection ranging from revised antibiotic prescribing policies, an MRSA patient screening programme, staff training, and regular audit, excellent standards of cleanliness, hand-washing and using single rooms to isolate patients with an infection.