Healthcare cleaning services are critical to all medical environment operations. Do not underestimate the health and customer perception impact. To be effective, the healthcare cleaning services vendor you select must be effective. Would you have an automobile mechanic build your home? The answer is no! Thus, whom do you have cleaning your healthcare facility?
Not all janitorial vendors are healthcare cleaning specialists. Three critical factors can distinguish the specialist from the laymen. We encourage you to use these factors to select your healthcare cleaning services vendor. Furthermore, these highlights can help you evaluate your current vendor. The following outlines how process, training, and experience make a powerful combination to medical environment cleaning success.
Factor 1 – Process Equals Performance!
Process is defined as “a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.” Think about that as it relates to your healthcare facility. What ‘particular end’ do you expect after each service delivery from your cleaning company? Is it that your healthcare cleaning company is on time? Do you need them to ensure onsite safety? What type of communication do you require? When an emergency occurs, what happens? What if you need a change to your cleaning program? What cleaning agents does your facility need?
A cleaning company that specializes in healthcare facilities would have process driven answers to all of the above questions. All critical processes would be formally documented within their operations, and all staff would be trained and measured to these processes (see ‘Factor 2’). A process driven approach for a cleaning company is the only way to remain consistent, safe, and measurable. Therefore, If a healthcare cleaning services firm does not have formalized processes, this could be cause for alarm.
A medical environment cleaning specialist would likely be proud to describe their formal processes. It takes effort to create and modify processes for maximum effectiveness. A janitorial vendor that has created such processes would consider it fundamental to their success. Thus, don’t hesitate to engage your cleaning vendor on its formal processes!
Factor 2 – What’s the Training Program?
Have you ever had a positive experience with a company and thought, “That was some well trained staff!” What was it that made you think this? Was it their responsiveness? How about their attention to detail? Was it their knowledge? Or, was it all of the above? Your healthcare cleaning services vendor should relay similar confidence. The way they instill this confidence is by a strong internal training program. Thus, key medical environment training might include:
- Bloodborne pathogen training & certification
- Disinfection best practice and requirements
- Cross-contamination avoidance
- Personal protection safety
- Terminal cleaning training
- Cleaning emergency response
We encourage you to request details as to your healthcare cleaning vendor’s training program. It’s a great step in determining their level of specialty. Furthermore, it can help you measure your cleaning company’s effectiveness. Again, a cleaning vendor that has created and delivered such internal training will be happy to share this effort with you.
Factor 3 – Experience Is The Best Teacher…
There is no substitute or shortcut to experience. Broad experience generates strong situational awareness. Performance, quality, and safety will be top of mind for an experienced cleaning company. Evaluate experience as follows:
- How long has the vendor been cleaning medical offices?
- What type of healthcare environments do they clean?
- What is the size and scope of their medial client customer base?
- References should be readily available.
In conclusion, experience combined with formal process and proven training reflects specialty. Taking the time up front to delve into a potential cleaning company’s healthcare environment specialty can pay dividends in time saved.
Foreman Pro Cleaning – Your Healthcare Cleaning Services Specialist
Are you searching for an experienced medical environment cleaning company? Foreman Pro Cleaning, LLC has formal processes, advanced employee training, and excellent experience. Contact Us today and we’ll get started on your cleaning program.