Healthcare and Medical Cleaning Services

Medical facilities in the UK must comply with several key standards. The National Specifications for Cleanliness in the NHS provides the framework for healthcare cleaning, including the NHS National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness 2021.

Facilities must also meet Care Quality Commission (CQC) requirements, which assess cleanliness as part of their inspection criteria.

Additionally, you need to follow Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines, infection prevention and control (IPC) protocols, and maintain compliance with COSHH regulations for chemical handling. HTM 01-04 and HTM 07-01 technical memoranda provide specific guidance on decontamination and safe water systems in healthcare premises.

GP surgeries should undergo deep cleaning at least quarterly (every 3 months) as a baseline, with daily cleaning of high-touch surfaces and clinical areas. Treatment and consultation rooms should be cleaned between each patient where bodily fluids are involved.

The CQC expects regular audits of cleaning standards with documented cleaning schedules. Annual deep cleans should cover areas like ventilation systems, ceiling voids, and behind fixed equipment.

However, frequency may increase based on patient throughput, infection outbreaks, or specific risk assessments for your facility.

Yes, specialist medical cleaning services provide comprehensive infection control cleaning tailored to healthcare environments. This includes terminal cleaning of isolation rooms, deep cleaning following infectious disease outbreaks, and routine disinfection of high-risk areas.

Services cover cleaning and disinfection using hospital-grade antimicrobial products, colour-coded cleaning systems to prevent cross-contamination, and ATP testing to verify surface cleanliness.

Cleaners are trained in aseptic techniques, personal protective equipment (PPE) use, and safe handling of contaminated materials to minimize infection transmission risks.

Regular cleaning focuses on general hygiene and appearance, while clinical cleaning is a specialised process designed to eliminate pathogens and prevent healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs).

Clinical cleaning uses hospital-grade disinfectants that are bactericidal, virucidal, and fungicidal, rather than standard cleaning products. It requires strict protocols including specific contact times for disinfectants, color-coded equipment to prevent cross-contamination between areas, and cleaning in a specific sequence from cleanest to dirtiest areas.

Clinical cleaners must have specialized training in infection control, understanding of clinical waste segregation, and knowledge of high-risk zones such as operating theatres, isolation rooms, and clinical treatment areas. Documentation and audit trails are mandatory for clinical cleaning.

We ensure all staff receive comprehensive healthcare-specific training. This includes accredited infection prevention and control training, often aligned with UK Infection Prevention Society (IPS) standards.

Cleaners receive instruction on blood-borne pathogen awareness including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV, plus safe handling of sharps and clinical waste. Training covers proper use of PPE, correct dilution and application of disinfectants, understanding of NHS cleaning specifications, and response protocols for spillages of bodily fluids.

We provide annual refresher training and maintain training records as evidence for CQC inspections. Staff may also hold NVQ Level 2 qualifications in Cleaning and Support Services.

Yes, we are equipped to clean isolation rooms and high-risk infectious areas. This service includes terminal cleaning after patient discharge, using enhanced disinfection protocols with extended contact times.

Cleaners follow strict donning and doffing procedures for PPE, work according to negative or positive pressure room protocols, and use appropriate respiratory protection when required. The process involves systematic cleaning from ceiling to floor, disinfection of all surfaces including walls and fixtures, and safe removal of all clinical waste.

Services often include hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) or UV-C disinfection for terminal decontamination. Environmental sampling and clearance certificates can be provided following deep cleans of infectious areas.

We use hospital-grade disinfectants that meet BS EN standards for antimicrobial efficacy. Common products include chlorine-based disinfectants (hypochlorite solutions) for blood spillages and high-risk areas, quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) for general surface disinfection, and alcohol-based solutions for equipment and quick-drying requirements. Products must be effective against a broad spectrum including MRSA, C. difficile spores, norovirus, and coronaviruses.

All chemicals comply with COSHH regulations and AISE Charter standards. We also use environmentally responsible products with reduced environmental impact while maintaining efficacy. Products are chosen based on compatibility with surfaces, required contact time, and specific pathogen risks in each area, with COSHH assessments and safety data sheets maintained for all chemicals used.

Compliance is maintained through comprehensive risk assessments for all cleaning activities and environments. We implement method statements for specific tasks and high-risk areas, maintain COSHH assessments for all cleaning chemicals, and provide extensive staff training on safe working practices. Regular audits and quality inspections verify adherence to protocols, while documented cleaning schedules and completion records provide evidence of compliance.

Staff receive appropriate PPE and training in its use, and companies maintain employers' and public liability insurance at appropriate levels. Incident reporting systems, compliance with working at height regulations, and manual handling training are all standard.

Yes, our medical cleaning services offer flexible scheduling including evening, overnight, and weekend cleaning services to minimise disruption to clinical operations.

Out-of-hours cleaning is particularly common for GP surgeries, dental practices, and outpatient clinics where daytime cleaning would interfere with patient care. Services can be scheduled before opening hours, after closing, or during designated quiet periods.

For 24-hour facilities like hospitals, cleaning is coordinated around ward routines and patient needs. Deep cleaning and specialist services such as floor maintenance or equipment cleaning are typically performed during off-peak hours or planned closure periods.

This approach ensures patient safety, maintains confidentiality, and allows uninterrupted clinical service delivery while meeting all cleaning requirements.

Comprehensive medical cleaning contracts typically include

• daily cleaning of all clinical and non-clinical areas

• disinfection of high-touch surfaces

• floor cleaning and sanitisation

• restroom servicing

• waste management of general waste

However, clinical waste disposal requires a separate licensed waste carrier under the Hazardous Waste Regulations and is not typically included in standard cleaning contracts and will be charged extra.

Sanitising surfaces of medical equipment is covered, but decontamination of instruments and devices falls under clinical staff responsibilities following HTM 01-01 protocols.

Contracts can also include

• supply and restocking of consumables

• periodic deep cleaning

• window cleaning

• sanitisation of waiting areas

It's important to clearly define scope during contracting, specifying which areas you require in our site survey, clinical-grade versus standard cleaning, frequency of services, quality monitoring procedures, and emergency response protocols.