Cleaning jobs unfilled at hospital

There are more than 60 vacancies for cleaners at Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital, union officials have claimed.

They called for the positions to be filled as a matter of urgency in the wake of a report which condemned hygiene standards.

Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust today confirmed it was recruiting agency staff, but declined repeated requests to reveal the number of positions available. Interserve FM Ltd provides cleaning services for the hospital under the Private Finance Initiative contract.

The emergency assessment unit was branded "exceptionally unclean" by inspectors from NHS regulator the Care Quality Commission.

They discovered blood stains, dirty floors and soiled mattresses in the unit and have given the hospital until the end of the month to make improvements.

Roger McKenzie, regional secretary for Unison said: "This goes to show that the Private Finance Initiative is not value for money and apparently fails to provide the cleanliness that we and the community of Dudley want to see.

"The last we heard, there were more than 60 vacancies for cleaners. Interserve needs to fill these vacancies as a matter of urgency.

Permanent

"It needs to be seen to put the health of patients before its profit margins.

Mr McKenzie added: "Our community demands and deserves a first-class NHS and PFI contracts clearly do not deliver this goal."

Interserve FM Ltd general manager Neal Gisborne issued a statement through the hospital press office which said: "Interserve FM Ltd fulfills the required number of cleaning hours set under the PFI contract for The Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust via a mixture of permanent, bank and agency staff.

"All cleaning staff undergo an induction programme to ensure the required standards of cleaning are met."

The trust's Council of Governors has pledged to monitor standards in the wake of the latest reports and will be receiving regular updates to allow members to monitor progress.

By Heather Large