Falling through the cracks: the invisible hospital cleaning workforce

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Sociology of Health
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Hospital cleaners perform critical tasks for healthcare facilities and public health.
• The contributions of cleaning staff to healthcare safety are under-researched and often unrecognized.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the essential role of this workforce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the role and contribution of hospital cleaners to healthcare safety.
• To render visible the work of hospital cleaners within healthcare research and practice.
• To examine the potential of cleaners in improving hospital safety.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on cleaners, quality, and safety in healthcare.
• Theoretical framework drawing on Habermas' work.
• Analysis of perceptions of cleaners, healthcare professionals, and managers regarding quality and safety.

Main Results:

• Cleaners are often perceived as performing isolated, repetitive tasks, excluded from the healthcare team and decision-making.
• Despite exclusion, cleaners' proximity to patients offers unique insights for hospital safety.
• Their work is theorized as both instrumental and communicative, highlighting untapped potential.

Conclusions:

• This paper emphasizes the overlooked importance of hospital cleaners in patient safety.
• It applies Habermas' theory to demonstrate how role framing excludes cleaners from safety agendas.
• Recognizing and integrating cleaners into safety initiatives is vital for healthcare improvement.