Targets take their toll on cleaners

A domestic team supervisor at an East Midlands hospital told the socialist what lies behind the headlines in today's NHS.

"Things are looking cleaner, but at the cost of my staff. Sickness has gone up. It's so stressful people are starting, working three days and then leaving. We have one lady to clean a whole ward – five bays with six beds, five side-rooms, a corridor and a nurses' station - in six hours. The toilet cleaning team have six wards to clean - one person has 40 minutes a ward. They're supposed to be done three times a day but they can't get round.

It used to be a really happy place to work. It still is in some ways but the mood of the staff is very demotivated and deflated. They're not happy because they want to do their best and they can't. The main reason is shortage of staff. A lot have left and a lot of experience has gone."

More next week

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