'Clean is Green': promoting cleaning as a sustainable healthcare intervention

Clinical cleaning in some areas of a large teaching hospital in the south of England required improvement to meet required standards.

To assess whether promoting cleaning as a sustainable healthcare intervention is likely to improve hospital cleanliness.

Routine cleaning audits were used to benchmark hospital cleanliness. The impact of cleaning on healthcare sustainability was promoted across the hospital through posters placed in communal staff areas. A staff survey and poll were conducted following the promotion.

Survey responses showed some understanding of how cleaning can contribute to sustainable health care. The staff poll suggested that nearly 90% of respondents thought that explaining how cleaning contributed to lowering the carbon footprint of the hospital would motivate staff to clean more. The audit results across the hospital showed an increase in audit pass rate following the promotions.

Empowering staff to understand the links between cleaning and carbon footprint is likely to improve cleaning practice.