Oral answer to question provided on Thursday, 8 December 2005 in the House of Lords, by Lord Warner (Labour).

NHS: Staff Facilities

Answer: My Lords, we have given guidance in this area. The noble Baroness is quite right, these are serious issues. It comes down to people at local trust level using that guidance to apply appropriate services locally. I have taken on the responsibility of reviewing whether the changing and laundry policies should be revised, but we have advice from microbiologists that washing uniforms at home at the domestic clothes washer’s temperature of 60° centigrade followed by a rinse cycle is more than adequate in these circumstances.

This is an answer to the Oral question asked on Thursday, 8 December 2005 by Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench).

Question: My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply but do not find it very satisfactory. Does he agree that since we have a National Health Service, hospital infections which spread all over the country—such as MRSA, the diarrhoea C. difficile and all sorts of other infections which cling on to materials—are important? Does he also agree that the public and patients are concerned about seeing nurses around supermarkets and on buses and tubes? Should there not be minimum standards for the National Health Service across the country?

Secondary information

Type: Oral answer to question
Reference: 676 c739-40
Session: 2005-06
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Hospitals Facilities NHS Staff Sanitation Uniforms Cleaning services
Link: View this Oral answer to question on www.publications.parliament.uk