A question from the HCD08 Conference.

Generally, I feel many facilites do not highly value the importance of the housekeeping department.  Imagine if the floors, walls and surfaces were cleaned on a regular basis do you agree?

Unfortunately, the environmental services staff is not usually considered as “Technical” staff, so the salary range is lower than many other departments. For this reason, it’s difficult to attract, retain, and motivate good staff. This is a challenge for many healthcare organizations. You are correct, this staff and their work, are vitally important to patient care and safety!