Superbug hazard as medics 'stopped from cleaning ambulances'

Published on Monday 7 July 2008 10:28

PATIENTS are being exposed to potentially lethal superbugs because ambulances aren't being cleaned properly, it was claimed today.

Paramedics' leaders and those working on the frontline – including a crew member from West Lothian – have hit out at bosses, claiming their requests to "deep clean" vehicles after patients have been sick or had diarrhoea have been turned down.

They say they are not allowed to spend time cleaning the vehicles in case they compromise response targets. From April 2009, paramedics will have to answer 75 per cent of life-threatening emergencies within eight minutes.

The Scottish Ambulance Service is already gearing up to meet the target but paramedics say unacceptable corners are being cut, encouraging the spread of germs, including MRSA and clostridium difficile. Jonathan Fox from the Association of Professional Ambulance Personnel said: "The fight against superbugs cannot stop at the hospital door.

"The ambulance service is part of the total patient care package and nobody should have to be transported or work in a dirty ambulance. The issue of ambulance cleanliness is simply not being taken seriously enough."

A paramedic from West Lothian said: "We just don't have time to clean the vehicle – we're struggling. It's getting worse with the pressure of work and calls have gone through the roof.

"In this day and age, with the amount of infection going about, an ambulance should be deep cleaned at least once a week but that isn't happening."

One ambulance technician added: "The emphasis on the eight-minute target is the main problem. Our concern is that we are being refused permission to even clean vehicles between jobs, even if it's not fit for purpose."

The public service union Unison praised the practice adopted by the London Ambulance Service.

It has been described as leading the way in dealing with the problem with a "make-ready" system.

On-site cleaners routinely clean the fleet, work nights and carry out deep-cleans. They also re-stock ambulance with fresh kit so crews do not have to spend their time cleaning and re-stocking.

Labour MSP for Dunfermline East, Helen Eadie, has raised the cleanliness issue of Scottish ambulances with Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon following complaints made by crews in her area.

A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service insisted that adequate infection-control policies were in place.

He said: "Standards of infection control are very important to us.

"We require that vehicles should have both a daily and weekly clean, and that the interior of the vehicle is wiped down after each patient."