The integration of key players in the control of healthcare associated infections in different types of domestic services

Purpose – The main purpose of this paper is to present some of the findings of a PhD research project. The findings are related to issues of integration of the key players in the control of healthcare associated infections (HAI) in FM services. Out of the FM services, the focus of the study was limited only to domestic services. Design/methodology/approach – Most of what is put forward in this paper is based on a PhD research project which is at its final stages. The findings are grounded on a case study approach and a questionnaire survey approach, carried out as part of the research. Informal interviews with infection control experts in the national health service (NHS) in Scotland and a thorough review of literature also provided useful insights to make conclusions of this paper. Findings – It is evident from a thorough review of literature that the integration between the clinical teams and domestic teams is vital in order to ensure well maintained standards in the control of HAI in domestic services. However, the findings of the case studies and questionnaire survey suggest that, at present, there is less integration between domestic teams and clinical teams (mainly infection control team members). This is mostly due to the fact that the clinical teams and domestic teams consider themselves as two separate entities. This is obvious especially when the domestic service is managed by an external party (e.g. PFI contractor). However, many UK government studies have shown that there is no correlation between contracting‐out and HAI. Therefore, the solution (to control HAI) is not to rush and bring cleaning contracts back in‐house, but to take steps to create and improve communication and coordination between the domestic teams and clinical teams. More empirical research is, therefore, needed to resolve the issue of “integration” in order to create a “friendly” and a “coordinative” environment in hospitals. Research limitations/implications – Targeted guidelines on the role of domestic services in the control of HAI as well as the paucity of relevant literature on related areas could be considered as limitations. Practical implications – The cultural issues between the clinical teams and non‐clinical teams (particularly domestic teams in this study point of view) are major implications to adopt a team‐based approach in the control of HAI. Originality/value – The paper focuses on one of the major issues in healthcare, i.e. HAI. Few have taken an FM perspective on this issue. It is worthwhile to note that, at the time of this research, there was only a handful of literature on the aforementioned issue. Besides, none of the literature has discussed the issue of involvement and integration particularly with regard to control of HAI in domestic services. Many of the case study participants and survey respondents also commended the in‐depth interest taken on the aforementioned issue. This paper, therefore, adds a significant value to healthcare research and research on FM.