Improving Cleanliness Levels

Inadequate cleanliness levels pose the highest risk when they occur in hospitals and health care facilities. Enacting the proper standards in hospitals is more than a matter of efficiency; it is a matter of guaranteeing public health and safety.

In recent years there have been calls for greater accountability in the maintenance of public health care facilities in order to better prevent disease outbreaks, guard the wellness of staff and patients, and protect contractors from litigation. Ensuring the cleanliness of hospitals and health care facilities in a clear and transparent manner is core to our business.  

As an unbiased auditor and consultant we hold all systems accountable, and assist in developing strategies and approaches to emerging needs.  

The Westech Standard

Westech’s auditing process is comprised of three important stages: Audit Schemes, Criteria Sheets, and Scoring. Audit Schemes create inventory items in each area, assigning value to each based on established principles. Audit Criteria Sheets describe how to audit individual items, as well as what conditions are considered unacceptable for each. Finally, the Audit Scoring tool uses collected data to score particular inventory items and areas.

Our independent audits can compliment internal inspections and provide unbiased, in-depth reporting on all aspects of facilities cleanliness. They establish accountability for contractors and in-house staff; cleanliness levels will increase as a result. Inspections can be used as an ongoing benchmark tool, and pinpoint the source and cause of any deficiencies. As a consultant, we can advise clients on contractor tendering and the establishment of clear specifications unique to their needs.     

Westech also equips hospitals with Cleaning Management systems to help them survey each cleaning task and verify the cleaning quality of every room and section. Our standardized tools are used in all facility types to survey and manage both in-house and contracted cleaning services.  

Computer-aided task management tools divide and organize projects and provide up-to-the minute reporting in a variety of formats, identifying problem areas quickly. This system balances workloads, increasing efficiency. This allows managers more time for other tasks, and has been proven to increase overall productivity on a day to day basis.  

Some of our clients include: all six British Columbia Canada Health Authorities (consisting of approximately 161 hospitals), Kettering Health Network in the States as well as many other hospitals in North America. Westech also performs province-wide 3rd party cleanliness audits of the British Columbia health care facilities beginning in 2005 to the present. 

Westech Systems has played a large roll in creating the standards by which hospital cleanliness is determined in British Columbia and utilize these principles in serving facilities across Canada. Every day we assist our clients in achieving these standards effectively.