Blog: Playing an important role with healthcare cleaning professionals
As part of our #LearningMatters focus for August, we sat down with Camille Grech-cini, Category Manager for Cleaning and Chlorine at NHS Supply Chain: Facilities and Office Solutions, to learn more about her new role with the Association of Healthcare Cleaning Professionals (AHCP)
Hi Cami, in addition to your role within NHS Supply Chain: Facilities and Office Solutions, you have taken on a new role with AHCP. What does that entail?
I have taken on the role of branch secretary and communications for the Yorkshire and Trent branch of the AHCP. The organisation aims to help members provide a service committed to excellence and cost effectiveness, as well as to promote and develop measurable standards of service, and responding to the changing needs. We held our first face to face meeting for quite a while in June and we had one of the largest turnouts we have ever had. It was great to see colleagues from different trusts coming together to share their experiences.
In terms of my role at NHS Supply Chain, this relationship gives me an opportunity to have direct contact with people who are using the products we procure on a daily basis. These products are often used in a range of settings, including acute and mental health services, and this direct line of communication with colleagues who are working on the frontline is vitally important to ensuring we can offer the right products, in the right way, for each of these settings facing, in many cases, unique and varied challenges.
There are people working in many different roles included within the membership of AHCP, including housekeeping, domestic services, and in some cases, catering and facilities teams. These professionals play a vital part in keeping our health service running smoothly and we are always looking for more input. We want to hear from people working in these roles to ensure that we have a good understanding of the challenges they are facing.
Looking to the future we hope to expand the membership into other healthcare settings such as GP surgeries, ambulance trusts and care homes, often once again facing quite different requirements in terms of the way these products are used. By joining this association, we can offer the opportunity to share best practice across both professions and care environments and support learning between members.
Did you have a previous working relationship with AHCP before taking on this role?
I have been attending branch meetings to listen to our customers as I felt this would be useful in informing our strategies and ensuring what we deliver aligns with their requirements. With the aim of helping us to respond to challenges and offer flexibility to adapt to future changes.
Earlier this year, I attended a meeting and discovered that the branch was in danger of closing, so I offered my support. I felt very strongly that losing this branch would create difficulties and uncertainty for its members. I think it is really important to maintain these forums, I can share knowledge and expertise from my role within NHS Supply Chain and use feedback to inform decisions around my category.
The branch serves as a support network to members giving them a space to share their experiences, learn from one another, and offering formal learning opportunities for people to develop their knowledge base around areas such as decontamination, and find out more about sustainability commitments within trusts and how they can support them.
What is on the agenda for you in the next 12 months?
There have been substantial changes to the national cleaning standards in the last year. In May 2022, an update was issued which means there are standards that must be adhered to within all healthcare settings, which affects not only the NHS but also private healthcare offerings. This will lead to all sites displaying a cleanliness rating using a star rating; so that no matter where they are, patients, service users and visitors can have confidence in the knowledge that they are accessing safe, well maintained, and clean environments. This sends a message that all sites are cleaned in line with this defined standard and format.
From the perspective of NHS Supply Chain, a key ongoing project relevant to our relationship with the AHCP is the National Uniform for the Estates and Facilities workforce. This will see the introduction of a core list of garments for all estates and facilities teams to wear, many of whom are members of our branch. The aim of this project is to offer this vital contingent of the NHS workforce a greater sense of unity and support their identity within the wider health service; raising their profile and highlighting the importance of the work they do, which is essential to keep the NHS running safely and smoothly.
What do you enjoy about your role within the AHCP branch?
We are very fortunate that the Yorkshire and Trent branch is one of the largest within the UK, and to have such a fantastic turnout at our most recent face to face meeting is testament to the commitment of the members. Our focus now is how do we move forward, how do we improve and how can we work together collaboratively with other NHS Trusts, organisations, and with our suppliers.
It is so important that cleaning, housekeeping, and domestic services have a clear voice, as I think sometimes it can be lost in the crowd, but without these teams, their clinical colleagues cannot do their jobs and vice versa.
Since taking on this role, I have learned a great deal from the members and I have taken the knowledge and adapted it into how I do my job, thinking about the end users more and how we can support them to perform their duties. For example, a key area that the AHCP have identified is auditing software. Audits must be conducted a certain number of times a day, week or month in certain areas based on the national standards for that specific area. Trusts must hold files for inspections. As part of my role within the AHCP, we are looking at ways we can bring this system up to date to reflect the 24/7 service our members provide, such as the creation of an online system. I want to use the skills I have gained through my role in procurement to engage with members and give more of a focus to the end users of our products.
Do you have any advice for colleagues who are considering joining the AHCP?
The AHCP is always welcoming new members, and if they have any questions, I am more than happy to speak to them. Trusts can also use a guest membership, whereby they can experience what it’s like to be part of a branch before they fully commit to membership. It is a great space to be able to bounce ideas off your peers, and from my perspective, I have been able to share information around topics like, who to invite to get the best advice and learning from, as well as national days of recognition etc.
The AHCP will be hosting The Green Way Forward national training and development forum from Wednesday 6th – Friday 8th September. For more information or to book your place click here. The AHCP’s primary goal is to increase and improve standards in healthcare cleanliness within healthcare settings. Please send enquiries to information@ahcp.co.uk