Restructuring of House Keeping Department

It is said that first impression, prolongs till the end. A patient entering first time to the hospital when welcomed by a neat and clean environment as well as aesthetic feelings, takes away half of his misery and increases his confidence on the hospital. The hospital housekeeping services comprises of activities related to cleanliness, maintenance of a healthy environment and good sanitation services, keeping the hospital premises free from pollution, assisting in patient movement across the hospital. In short it is the service directed towards a clean, safe and mentally comfortable environment.

Organizing a Housekeeping Department:

The Housekeeping Department serves all areas and departments of a hospital. Interaction with medical faculty, nursing, Engineering and maintenance department, materials management department, Human Resources Department, Security, Laundry and general administration in matters relating to Housekeeping and infection control. Hence the Housekeeping Department needs to be decentralized based on the work process in order to increase the efficiency of the department along with providing manpower pooling system close to the vertical transport system to facilitate easy movement of patient across the hospital, materials and equipment etc.
Facilities and space requirement: • Office for the housekeeping department at the ground floor to cover all the OPDs and 3rd floor for all the inpatient areas. • Dedicated telephone lines to contact. • Control desk and bulletin board to put up daily duty charts and other housekeeping information • Store room for the housekeeping equipment and materials • Housekeeping closets on all floors of the hospital with space and shelves for housekeeping equipment and materials, and trolleys. As a matter of routine, supplies for daily use should be