ISS has been providing hospital cleaning services for Spitäler Schaffhausen for 30 years. Faced with a shortage of skilled workers, healthcare institutions are increasingly looking for ways to relieve nursing staff of non-nursing tasks - and Spitäler Schaffhausen is no exception. We show how facility management supports hospital operations and highlight the key criteria involved.
When you think of Schaffhausen, you inevitably think of the Rhine Falls, watches, and wine. When it comes to healthcare, the Schaffhausen hospitals play a leading role in Switzerland’s northernmost canton. For its approximately 100,000 residents, the healthcare system - comprising the Cantonal Hospital (including rehabilitation and transitional care), the Breitenau Psychiatric Center, the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Service, and the radiology, cardiology, and neurology - comprehensive basic medical and nursing care close to home. In 2022, 90,000 outpatient and more than 11,000 inpatient treatments were provided. With approximately 1,600 employees - including about 150 trainees and students annually across 20 professions - Schaffhausen Hospitals are among the largest employers in the canton.
ISS makes a significant contribution to hygiene at the Schaffhausen Hospitals. The partnership in cleaning services has been in place for 30 years. The scope of services includes treatment rooms, patient rooms, the emergency department, the operating room and delivery room, as well as public areas and rooms at the external locations. The ISS team is on site daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and is on call until the next shift begins early in the morning. During peak periods, the staff help out in the dishwashing kitchen and the bed management center. Susanne Joost, ISS account manager, can count on an experienced team. Most of the 50 employees have been with the company for ten years or more and know hospital operations inside and out. The fixed assignment of employees to specific wards has also proven effective. As a result, ISS employees are familiar with ward procedures and any special needs that may arise. This consistency simplifies collaboration and communication in day-to-day hospital life and frees up more time for nursing staff to focus on their core duties.
Consistently Efficient Room Cleaning
For the past year, ISS has also been responsible for disinfecting the nightstands, side tables, wardrobes, and the terminal with the phone in the patient rooms. This requires tact and sensitivity. But a good command of German is also necessary. This is because room cleaning is sometimes carried out while patients are in the room, and staff must be able to explain, for example, when the nightstand needs to be moved for thorough cleaning or when the newspaper on it needs to be put away. Susanne Joost is proud that the client has entrusted this task to ISS: “With this service, our staff who are already in the room can handle the entire cleaning process. This results in a consistently efficient process, and we can further reduce the workload on the nursing staff. It also demonstrates the trust placed in ISS. After all, the client will only entrust us with additional tasks if they can be certain that we ensure proper cleaning and hygiene and that our employees behave appropriately.”
Daily Quality Checks
To ensure that employees can meet the diverse requirements, the ISS team receives monthly training. In this way, ISS ensures that employees are familiar with the procedures and systems and that everyone is on the same page. Susanne Joost, together with the ISS team leaders, checks whether what they’ve learned is being applied correctly in everyday work during daily rounds through the facility and through random spot checks: Is hand sanitization being done correctly? Are the cleaning supplies being used properly? “I walk through the building with my eyes open and speak directly to employees if there’s a need for action anywhere,” explains Susanne Joost. “If, for example, a cleaning wipe is too wet, I instruct the employees on how to use the right amount and follow up the next day.” During large-scale inspections covering multiple floors and rooms, the results are documented electronically. In addition, Susanne Joost can draw on the expertise of ISS’s healthcare specialists and key account management team: “The client values ISS’s extensive and broad expertise. We can provide advice on many questions and concerns and suggest various solutions.”
Close Collaboration with the Client
Cooperation between ISS and hospital staff is essential for smooth operations. The ISS site manager plays a key role, as they are familiar with the daily routine and serve as the central point of contact for housekeeping, nursing, and staff. “I’m familiar with large urban hospitals as well as regional healthcare facilities. What they all seem to have in common, in my view, is that proximity to the client, personal interaction, and quick response times to inquiries are incredibly important,” explains Susanne Joost. If, for example, the client faces a staffing shortage in the morning, they can report the issue via the hotline, and ISS immediately seeks the right solution. “I can fully count on the flexibility of my employees - even on their days off, if necessary. This willingness to help is simply fantastic,” says Susanne Joost. And the fact that the client is satisfied is evident from the number of complaints - there have been almost none so far.
SCHAFFHAUSEN HOSPITALS & ISS SWITZERLAND
ISS has been serving the healthcare sector in Switzerland for over forty years and has more than 200 clients and 1,000 employees in this field. The range of services is tailored to the needs of healthcare institutions and includes a wide array of support and service solutions. At the Cantonal Hospital site of Spitäler Schaffhausen, ISS is responsible for all cleaning services. This includes daily maintenance cleaning, interim and deep cleaning of patient rooms, operating rooms, and delivery rooms, as well as the cleaning of critical infrastructure facilities such as MRI rooms and cleanrooms. When needed, ISS provides support in the bed management center and the dishwashing kitchen.