Infection Prevention and Control

Our cleaning teams have played a critical role in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep staff and patients safe.

Optimal hand hygiene, increased cleaning of vehicles and workplaces, appropriate levels of personal protective equipment (PPE), increased levels of hand sanitiser and cleaning materials and social distancing measures have been an essential part of our response.

Ambulance cleaners were introduced at every hospital emergency department across Yorkshire in the fight against COVID-19 and to ensure that crews were available to respond to their next patient more quickly.  The team of more than 70 ambulance cleaners, supported by 17 welfare vehicles, were appointed, trained and in operation within three weeks in response to the pandemic.

In the space of two weeks, we also recruited a team of 28 staff to support the Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate and ensure that ambulances were cleaned and made available.

In the first six months of 2020, we carried out 850 unscheduled ambulance deep cleans (compared to 130 in 2019) due to the sustained transmission of COVID-19.

Chief Executive Rod Barnes said: "The vehicle cleaning, ambulance vehicle preparation, medical devices and infection, prevention and control teams have done some really fantastic work over the last few months, working tirelessly to ensure that our staff were supported. They have put in a huge number of hours to ensure that we can continue to provide a high-quality effective response for our patients."