When choosing a janitorial partner to round out your environmental services team in your healthcare facility, there is more to know than whether they can clean your facility. From specialized training programs to safety best practices, how your janitorial partner services your building impacts the health and safety of your patients and staff. With feedback from healthcare facility managers, we’ve created key considerations for choosing an environmental services partner.
You should Consider:
- Expertise Healthcare Cleaning: When seeking an environmental services partner it is important to choose a partner with experience in cleaning healthcare environments. With unique needs and regulatory compliance requirements, it is vital your provider have experience working in environments like yours.
- Healthcare Specific Training Programs: With patient safety at the forefront, it is important to choose an environmental services partner who has healthcare specific training programs in place for infection control. Training should include extra hand washing, needle stick safety, bloodborne pathogen awareness, and proper dust management . It is important to not just clean for appearance, but also for wellness, health, and safety. Teams should be trained to use proper disinfection practices and processes.
- Experience with Compliance Regulations and Standards: As a healthcare facility, you are subject to strict regulatory standards set by health departments and other governing agencies. Your chosen partner should possess a deep understanding of these regulations and act as a committed collaborator, ensuring ongoing readiness and a prepared environment.
- Reliable Communication: A strong partnership is rooted in trust and transparency. With open lines of communication between you and your environmental services partner you should have regular check-ins, site walks and quarterly business reviews. Your local account manager should work closely with you to coordinate and establish both account level and site-specific protocols for communication, reporting, and documenting KPIs.
- Best Practices in Hiring: Given the sensitive nature of healthcare environments and the need to protect patient privacy, it is essential to hire an environmental services partner that conducts thorough background checks on its employees. This includes employment eligibility and criminal history checks.
- Scalability and Flexibility: Choosing an environmental services partner with nationwide resources and a national buying network allows for scalability and flexibility in both labor and materials. From the latest tools, technology and equipment, a national partner with local account management and leadership will be best prepared to service your entire portfolio. Healthcare facilities operate 24/7, which means cleaning must occur daily, at night and on weekends. Ensure that the janitorial partner can accommodate your facility’s schedule and offer flexibility and bench resources in case of emergencies or unforeseen circumstances. Responsive communication and a proactive approach to problem-solving are essential qualities to look for in an environmental services partner.
Cleaning within healthcare and medical environments is uniquely different from commercial cleaning and requires a much higher level of cleanliness. With more than 60 years of experience, Harvard has developed a customized approach that offers specialized solutions, validates cleanliness and meets Joint Commission requirements.