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My experience of ante-natal care at Tameside General

Posted By shamoo

"My experience of ante-natal care at Tameside General"

About: Tameside General Hospital / Maternity care

(as the patient),

Due to experiencing slight bleeding at 28 and 31 weeks, I attended the antenatal unit twice to be checked over. On the first occasion I was kept in and spent the night on the Ward.

I have to say that overall my experience was good, it's our first baby and as my husband works away I was scared and the nursing staff and Doctors were lovely and reassuring.

My reason for writing this is that I was concerned by something I witnessed first hand. I was sat on my bed on the ward when the cleaner came around, I watched as she wiped the window ledges, the retractable tables over the beds and then to my horror, she began wiping down the plastic incubators at the side of the beds, all with the same cloth without rinsing or using any type of cleaning fluid.

I'm not an expert on MRSA and the spread of infections but I can't imagine that this practice is one which supports the regular use of hand disinfecting which you are constantly reminded of around the hospital. I wasn't at all surprised to hear that the hospital had a problem with MRSA after I left.

Our baby is due in 3 weeks time and my bag is packed, complete with my own cleaning wipes and disinfectant, I'm not prepared to take any risks, my other choice of hospital is Oldham...

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Responses

Response from Philip Dylak, Director of Nursing, Tameside Hospital Foundation Trust 14 years ago
We have made a change
Philip Dylak
Director of Nursing,
Tameside Hospital Foundation Trust

Submitted on 14/06/2010 at 10:27
Published on Care Opinion at 01:00

The hospital cleaners operate a microfibre cleaning systems which is nationally recognised as providing the best standards of infection control. A clean damp micro fibre cloth is used in each room or area until all 8 (folded) surfaces of the cloth have been used or the area is completed. The cloth is then put into a laundry bag. This means that any dust etc collected by the cloth in one area is not transferred to any other area.

The floor is dust mopped with a disposable dust control cloth; all debris collected along with the used dust control cloth is disposed of in the waste sack. Then using a damp micro fibre mop the floor is mopped until the mop becomes soiled / too dry to be effective or the room is completed. It is then put in a separate laundry bag. Several cloths and mops may be used to clean a relatively small area.

There is no need to carry a bucket of water and cleaning solution around to rinse and re-wet cloths or mops. This greatly reduces the risk of cross infection (transferring bacteria from one surface or area to another).

The cleaning staff in the ante-natal ward have been given refresher training in the use of the microfibre system to ensure that they are using it correctly.

Many thanks

Philip Dylak

Director of Nursing

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