MRSA fears on ambulance cleaning

Cleanliness is the key to fighting MRSA

Welsh ambulances must be kept cleaner if the MRSA infection is to be controlled, a union has said.

Unison claims cleaning of Welsh ambulance service vehicles is "rough and ready" compared to elsewhere.

It said time and financial pressures could lead to "superbugs" thriving in vehicles used to carry patients.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said "Ambulance staff have a responsibility to keep the ambulance clean and to reduce the risk of cross infection."

Unison's UK-wide member survey revealed many ambulance workers were worried their vehicles could pose infection risks.

As a result of the survey, the union is calling for cleanliness standards to be properly applied and monitored.

There is a difference between looking clean and being deep down clean Welsh paramedic

As ambulances transport patients throughout the NHS, it argued, there was a danger that the very vehicles designed to save lives are spreading lethal diseases.

Research showed that the ambulance services in London and Scotland took greatest care with infection control measures.

By contrast, ambulance crews in Wales and the East Midlands complained that cleaning was "pretty rough and ready".

Unison's Karen Jennings, said: "Effective infection control cannot stop on the hospital steps.

"It's clear that ambulances are potentially the weakest link in the fight against MRSA and other superbugs, and we need national standards to be applied more rigorously and staff properly trained in effective procedures to close this loophole.

"In practice ambulance crews do not always have time between emergency calls to keep their vehicles clean and infection-free."

'Routine cleaning'

Unison's investigation showed most ambulance crews are still responsible for cleaning their own vehicles - and for some that means intensive cleaning does not get done, or is only done on a very irregular basis.

If staff are concerned about the time needed to maintain good standards of cleanliness, they should raise it with their station management Department of Health spokeswoman

Most ambulances carry some cleaning equipment and, if there is no time to get back to the depot with a contaminated vehicle, the crew members were expected to clean it as best they could, Unison said.

Welsh union members said they were concerned that cleaning was not as thorough as it should be. One paramedic with the Welsh Ambulance Service said: "Crews do what they can and carry out routine cleaning between 999 calls, but there is a difference between looking clean and being deep down clean.

"It can be very muddy and difficult to clean up on a Sunday morning after picking up mountain bike casualties or injuries from rugby or football games."

Another Welsh ambulance crew member added: "If you are at A&E after a motorway pile up and get another emergency, most crews will feel under pressure to respond, even if the crew haven't had enough time to clean the ambulance."

The Department of Health spokeswoman added: "If staff are concerned about the time needed to maintain good standards of cleanliness, they should raise it with their station management so that they can do something about it".