HSU members take action to clean up Victorian hospitals

Over 150 HSU members attended a mass rally at Box Hill hospital in Melbourne today to protest over a drop in cleaning standards at public hospitals.

HSU members at today's rally

HSU Victorian secretary Jeff Jackson said that contracting out of cleaning services had to stop.

"Handing over cleaning services to big business has resulted in massive staff cuts and a inevitable decline in standards. This has left patients and staff in dirty and dangerous hospital conditions," Mr Jackson said.

"Victoria is the only state in Australia that has private contractors in the hospital sector. You can't afford to penny pinch and cut corners when it comes to health - Victoria has become a national embarrassment.

Mr Jackson said that when Spotless took over cleaning and food services at the Alfred Hospital last April, they cut a massive 36 staff members and drastically reduced the hours of the remaining staff.

"You cannot dramatically slash staff numbers and expect services to continue without a serious drop in standards," Mr Jackson said.

The rally follows a new Health Services Union (HSU) survey, which found disgusting and dangerous conditions at the Box Hill and Alfred Hospitals - two of Melbourne's largest public health services.

Mr Jackson said that standards at the hospitals are so bad, 8 out of 10 workers surveyed did not believe their hospital was clean enough to provide satisfactory patient care.

The survey of over 150 Box Hill and Alfred hospital staff has revealed:

• Faecal matter on wheelchairs and blood on pieces of equipment and on floors;

• Dirty birthing and post natal rooms;

• Filthy and smelly toilets - littered with rubbish and women's sanitary items;

• Rats sighted at the rear of one hospital kiosk and on hospital grounds.

"This horror result is the direct result of the Bracks Government's decision to outsource vital hospital services to private companies," Mr Jackson said.

"Substandard hygiene in our public hospitals is not on - it's time the Bracks Government got its shop in order and Minister Pike cleaned up Victoria's public health system."

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Last Modified: Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 17:18:57 EST