Nurses, how much cleaning do you have to do?

[Toddlerteaplease]

Just wondering how munch general ward cleaning you have to do. (Not cleaning stuff after it's being used, or making bed spaces ready for new patients. Our lovely manager had decided we have extra cleaning jobs now. It seems a bit much, on top of having a patient workload.

The devil is in the detail

what “extra cleaning jobs”?

and we’re these jobs previously done by cleaners and now nurses OR never done and your boss has been told the ward needs improving in cleaning

You're professionals not cleaners. You haven't spent 3 years training for that. I'd say no.

We do daily clean of all equipment used, weekly deep clean of everything used or unused, daily stock up, patients tables and locker tops, we clean the desks, phones, treatment room at night. What cleaning have you been asked to do.

Basically damp dusting every bay and the equipment in them. And each room. I'm happy to do my fair share of cleaning and tidying up. Especially when it quiet. But in her to look after patients. Not clean.

We got pulled up
Ok an audit for low level dust.

I'd be surprised if you had time to damp dust everywhere.

Ah so the devil is in the detail! That should have been in your Op.

the cleaners will have very very specific duties that they have to track. It’s not like domestic cleaner.

So… either they aren’t doing a job that they should be doing
or
this is a job other wards in your hospital is being picked up by nurses

I'm a nurse. I don't do any cleaning (apart from obviously wiping down equipment after I've used it), generally the domestics do this or the nursing assistants. However if I have time then I'll muck in even though it's not strictly my job.

No cleaning at all. Unless someone has been sick, etc.

I detest cleaning at the best of times anyway!

When I've done agency in other hospitals, I've never seen nurses do any cleaning at all.

Either because

the cleaners have a more extensive list of cleaning duties to be completed
or
They have not had their audit yet!
or
its a hospital with a below parr approach to cleaning and will be picked up eventually

Dust, anybody? No. Dust, anybody? No. Dust

No cleaning at all?

I am sure many would have done. Simply out of pride in their profession

I didn’t think nurses cleaned, I thought that’s what the cleaners did. Aren’t you there to look after patients? 🙄 You shouldn’t have to clean.

Just equipment and normal infection control measures no extra cleaning what time does this 'extra cleaning' gets done and don't you have cleaners?

Yes a
We do have a cleaner. They only work mornings though. Which for a large ward. Isn't really enough.

The cleaners in my hospital are always damp dusting everything!

This has happened with us too but the cleaners were asked to do extra damp dusting. We are a very heavy clinical area though and the nurses literally do not stop.

So it’s baffling to me that you haven’t been doing cleaning before now. What on earth happens from midday onwards?

It should be in the cleaning company's contract. Unfortunately, I would be neither shocked nor surprised to find out it isn't.

As you know OP, damp dusting must be done to reduce Healthcare Acquired Infections. That doesn't mean the person doing the contracting has the right budget and will have to go for the cheapest quote.

People criticising the percentage of non clinicians employed in hospitals unfortunately forget all of the other services needed to make it functional for everyone.

From a patient care point of view, your ward manager is right to insist it's done. But no, it's not your job to do it routinely.

@GiveupHQ we obviously clean equipment and tidy up
Bed spaces. But no cleaning is done in the afternoon unless we do it. Someone comes crying about 3pm to do the bins and that's it.

We have daily cleaning jobs to do so, usual stuff like hoist/bladder scanner/defib then we clean the sluice/clinical room which includes commodes and sides. Of course when patients go home we clean bed/table/chair cot sides.
Cleaner does damp dusting. Oh and 02/suction

It is hard to get it all done as, our patients are now more frail with lots of co morbidities, we failed our last audit as cleaning was being done first thing (it was felt we would forget if it was later) this meant we were cleaning when patients were needing help to the toilet or to sit up and of course help feeding.

It really is so tricky to get the clinical work done. Trouble is who else does it?
Our cleaners work 8-4 everyday then we have another come in PM to empty bins, they are always busy too.

OP doesn't your ward area have a hygienist? Where I am we have a cleaner and a hygienist who do everything between them

Don't your cleaners do that? Last year when I was in, the cleaners wiped down the floors, sinks, bins, tops of the cupboards, window sills, the curtain thingies....just about everything except the bedtables.