Dr. Hilary Jones says NHS cleaners are routinely undervalued by clinical staff.
In a keynote address to the Association of Healthcare Cleaning Professionals (AHCP), Dr. Hiliary Jones (who became a household name in his role as GMTV's "TV Doctor") has endorsed calls by outgoing AHCP Chair, Denise Foster, for changes to the training and recruitment of NHS cleaning staff.
Speaking at AHCP's annual conference which was held at the Reebok Stadium in Horwich, Dr. Jones said cleaners at hospitals are routinely undervalue by clinical staff and argued that the introduction of pre-qualification requirements could be one way of addressing this issue.
His comments were made during a wider debate on the current state of hygiene standards within the NHS during which he also raised concerns about the emergence of drug-resistant strains of infection.
The National Audit Office estimates that at least 100,000 people contract hospital acquired infections (HAI) in England alone every year as a result of poor hygiene standard in hospitals. It believes as many as 5,000 deaths could be prevented by tightening existing hygiene rules and investing in better infection control systems.
The cost to the NHS of HAIs is estimated at £1 billion annually.
