RJAH cleanliness team scrubs up top spot in national patient survey

Shropshire’s specialist orthopaedic hospital has once again been recognised for the cleanliness of its wards and patient rooms – topping a national patient survey for the fifth year in a row.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) ask patients who stayed in hospital for at least one night during November to take part in the annual Adult Inpatient Survey, with a total of 131 Trusts taking part in the 2024 survey.

Questions in the survey include ‘how clean was the hospital or ward’ with respondents asked to give a mark out of 10. The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) came out on top with an average score of 9.9.

The team of Cleanliness Technicians at RJAH are no strangers to accolades, as they were invited to join the NHS Exemplar Trusts Programme for Cleaning back in 2024, highlighting their status as one of the leading cleaning teams in the country.

Martine Williams, Facilities Manager, said: “The team is made up of Cleanliness Technicians who lead on the day-to-day cleaning of the hospital, Housekeepers who support with additional cleaning requirements such as beds, kitchens and other patient areas, and the Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) who carry out reactive and enhanced cleaning.

“They all work tirelessly throughout the year to ensure every ward and department is cleaned to the highest possible standard. They take immense pride in their work, and to be recognised by our patients as the cleanest hospital in the country is extremely rewarding.”

A total of 1,250 patients at the Oswestry-based hospital were asked to complete the survey, with 863 taking part.

Phil Davies, Head of Estates and Facilities, said: “It’s pleasing to see the number of Trusts that score highly for cleanliness, I’m delighted that amongst strong competition we were able to place no.1 for the fifth year running. The results demonstrate that cleanliness remains a top priority for RJAH and the NHS.

“This achievement is a true testament to the consistent hard work and dedication of the whole team.”

“All staff work rigorously, following national cleaning standards and infection prevention and control policies, to achieve the ultimate outcome, which is to reduce the risk of infection or illness to our patients.”

Overall, RJAH was named as one of eight NHS organisations placed in the top band of Trusts delivering results that are considered “much better than expected”, with patient experience that is substantially better than elsewhere.

Full details of the Adult Inpatient Survey 2024 can be found online at: https://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/surveys/adult-inpatient-survey