Grey Zones

The Catherine Booth Hospital (CBH) has addressed an issue that plagues all health care organizations—accountability for cleaning surfaces and equipment that fall into a 'grey zone'. Cleanliness of physical space, surfaces, and equipment in hospitals is traditionally seen as the responsibility of housekeeping staff, but with the increased focus on infection prevention and control, as well as transmission of antibiotic resistant microorganisms, accountability for areas/surfaces located in clinical areas has become the subject of interdepartmental tension with housekeeping staff. The CBH undertook a process to address this through 'negotiation' for delineation of roles between housekeeping and departmental staff. The agreements were outlined in a manual that defines the accountabilities and schedule of frequency for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, equipment, and accessories throughout the hospital. All surfaces are graded as high, low, medium 'touch' which is reflected in the schedule.